Dear Bertha

Dear Bertha,

I absolutely love the holidays but when my relatives pile into my house, I can’t help but want to hide in my room until the New Year. How can I enjoy the holidays with my family without losing my mind?

From,

Happy Hectic Holiday?

Dear Hectic,

I will admit, the holidays are a wonderful but chaotic time, which is why you should pace yourself this year. Family is easier to handle a little bit at a time. Instead of trying to fit all of the greeting into one day, spread it out so you can better appreciate your family. It also helps to take breaks and relax so you don’t have a family overload like most years. Remember that your family probably doesn’t try to be annoying or overly affectionate, they are just doing it because they love you and they want to cherish the time they have with you over the holidays.

Dear Bertha

Dear Bertha,

I’ve recently begun the college application process, and I’ve realized that my list of extracurriculars is very small. Most people say that colleges like applicants to be involved in lot of activities, so I was wondering what I could do to boost up my extra curriculars, or what I could do to boost up my application in general.

Sincerely,

College Bound?

Dear College Bound,

First of all, don’t fret; you still have time to beef up your application. Most colleges allow you to send in your applications up until January. So in the time between then and now, try and get involved. One thing that colleges like to see is progress. So join some things now, but do activities that you are interested in. The last thing colleges want to see is getting involved just so your application will be better, because colleges can see right through it.

For the readers that are not seniors yet, this is a good learning opportunity. Colleges do like to see well-rounded applicants. This means that they want to see art classes and science classes and English classes. Outside the classroom they like to see sports and volunteering, and if you personally think you can manage it, a job. If they see that you have had all of these things while still keeping up your grades up, they will be very impressed. In saying this, don’t overwhelm yourself. Do a little bit of everything, and become the well-rounded person that colleges want to see.

Sincerely, Bertha