————————————–

One important goal I would like to achieve in the next few years is to get a Bachelor of Science degree to work in the field of nursing.

First, I plan to schedule an appointment at a community college and meet with a guidance counselor to discuss my needs and goals. I will explain to the counselor that it is my desire to be a caregiver, and that I’m looking to be educated in that field. The counselor will then let me know what courses I will need to study in order to attain my schooling.

The guidance counselor will most likely have me take an exam to see where I’m at academically. The test scores will tell me what core courses I need in order to begin the actual nursing school. If none are needed, then I can proceed to nursing school. If I do need remedial work in some of the core courses, then I will take those courses and complete them.

Second, I plan to enroll in an online course. I will set aside 4 hours each day to study. It will be a priority for me to not waver from my studies, but to put full effort in for those 4 hours daily, and truly apply myself and try to comprehend what I’m learning.

Finally, I will complete all of the online coursework, and any coursework that requires me to be there physically in the lab. I will pay attention while I’m there that I truly try to understand what it is I’m being taught, and to do well so that I can earn my degree.

Although it may take some time and effort on my part, it will give me a great sense of accomplishment to attain my degree.

But the idea is, you want to understand them as people. One good thing is to write down each character’s name, and then try to think of adjectives to describe them. Say you wanted to tell your friend about this person. What would you say? Are they smart? Are they ugly? Are they fun? Write down as many adjectives as you can think of to describe the character.

You can also look at what the character does. What does the character do during the book? Write down the different actions the character takes, and how they react to other people. Then, and this is the really important step—why? Why does the character take this action? What makes them do it or react in a certain way? If you get that down, then you’re really getting somewhere!

1)Try to think of some things in advance, that you might use on your essay. You don’t know what the question will be, but you can think of some things that might help, like:
–Who are some people you admire, and why?
–What’s important to you in life? What are your goals?
–What are some important events that happened to you, that really made you think or taught you something?
–What’s an important world event that has a special meaning or memory for you?

Thinking about these kinds of questions gets your juices going… you might find that you can use them in your essay, or else it’s just good practice!

Also, here are some techniques you can use to brainstorm while you’re in the test. Practice these before the test on some of the questions above, or other practice GED prompts…

1) Freewriting… write down the question and just write for 3-4 minutes, whatever comes into your head. Don’t even worry if it’s a good idea!

2) Listing… write a list of as many things related to the idea as you can think of.

3) Word Web… write the main idea in the center. Then, draw 3-4 lines from the center, connecting to 3-4 related ideas. Write 3 details or new ideas about each related idea.

4) Questioning… write 3-4 questions about the topic, and then try to answer them.

5) Try answering these questions about the topic (and add more if you can think of them!):
–What’s my feeling or opinion about this topic?
–Who’s a person I know who taught me something about this topic?
–What’s a memory I have about this topic?
–How is this topic related to my life?

That will give you some ideas to start organizing into an essay. Some techniques work better for some people, so try these out to see what works best for you. Practicing beforehand really helps, so you’ll have your essay-writing muscles all flexed and ready to go!

Also, it’s really important to try to relax. That means, eat a good breakfast. Get plenty of sleep the night before. Bring some good snacks and water along. Wear comfortable clothes. And don’t worry! Just concentrate on your essay.

Good luck!
Liz

P.S. I’ll make this a separate post, too.