5 simple techniques to motivate your teens.

Teenagers are a hard batch to understand and an even harder batch to control. However most parents do not realise that the key to motivating your teens is encouragement. It is and has always been the key to good positive motivation. Here. we will show you five sure-fire techniques to motivate your teen.

1. Compliments

People do better when they feel better and it’s only natural that a compliment goes a long way. So if your teen has just won a sporting event at school or stood third in a drama event, compliment him/her and reward them. This will ensure that they are positively motivated to do better. An healthy exercise is to have regular weekly family meetings. it down with your family for at least an hour every week and talk about positive family moments. Talk to your teens about the week gone by. Compliment them on their successes and advice or hear their problems out. During the week, look for ways to let your kids know how unique they are, what you appreciate about them, how adorable they were as little kids. Tell them stories about what they used to do when they were younger.

2. Humor

Parents, do you know teenagers respond to humor better than lectures and nagging. Here’s an example of how a parent used humor to defuse a situation.

Peter was a father of three teens who used betting and guessing games to motivate the children and add humor to a situation. When Peter noticed the chores weren't getting done as agreed, he'd say, "Someone forgot to do something they agreed to. I'll give a dollar to the first person who guesses what it is." The teens ran around the house trying to find out who the culprit was so they could win a dollar.

Simple things like this can set your kids on the right part. All it takes is a bit of positivity and the right enforcement.

3. Collateral

Collateral works really well with teens. If they want to borrow something of yours then they have to give you something valuable of theirs in return. When they return what they borrowed you give them back what's theirs. Good collateral must be something that your teens value like an ipod, make up kit, jewelry etc.

4. Let's make a deal

Another technique that works well in motivating teens is the proposition. Make deals with your kids so you can get them to do their work without too much fuss. For instance you could make a deal with your teen to give him a day of unlimited gaming if he cleans up his room. Such kind of positive encouragement goes a long way in keeping your teens motivated.

5 . Get involved

Probably the most simple tip but still the most overlooked one. If you want to help your kid it's important to get involved. What this means is that the parent and the teen must arrive at some sort of a breakthrough when it comes to expectation and goal management . Talk to your teen and ask him/her to share their goals and issues. Then you talk about your goals and issues. If your goals and your teens goals are far apart, brainstorm and come up with the best possible option. Both you and your teen can then agree on an option you can both live with and carry on from there.

6 ways to get your teen involved in studies.

Education is the cornerstone of human development. Unfortunately for most teenagers, attending college is more about hanging out with friends than acing mid term papers. So how do you get your teens to take studies seriously? It’s not as hard as you think. Follow these simple steps to encourage your kids to take studying seriously.

1. Keep the channels of communication open

It often happens that parents are so busy with house and work related matters, that they have no time to talk to their children. Make it a point to discuss about school. What classes is he/she taking, what does your teen think of the teacher and/or ask if your teen feels he/she is learning anything. This helps you get an idea as to where your kid stands.

2. Set clear goals

Encourage your kids to discover what they love. Spend some time with them and discuss their interests. Share articles and clippings about their career interests with them. Tell him/her what grades you are expecting. Don’t pressure your kid with the weight of your expectations, instead set a grade after discussion with him/her so you can come to an agreeable result. Set consequences for poor grades as well as rewards for good grades. Keep your expectations in line with what your teen feels he/she can do.

3. Make resources available

Resources are important for high school students. It is absolutely essential that your kid has facilities like the internet, library card etc. Students in the modern age use the internet to complete their homework and to research about new topics, so make sure they have whatever they need to accomplish their goals

4. Get Involved

Show support for your teen’s school by regularly attending parent teacher meetings. Be respectful to your teens teachers but don’t be afraid to ask them the tough questions. Also while teaching your child values is your duty as a parent, you should also support him/her when they are in the right. Be an advocate for your kids and trust them when necessary.

5. Create an atmosphere of learning

Remember all human beings learn something new every day of their lives. Create an atmosphere and culture that promotes learning. Encourage your children to take part in elocution competitions, dance classes, piano lessons etc. This will teach your child that learning is an ongoing process and one that can be a lot of fun. Also promote the habit of reading. Gift your child a book on his birthday and ask him to finish reading it. Build his interests in reading as it helps a lot in building communication skills.

6. Reward your teens for their efforts

Reward your child for his/her positive efforts.  The reward can be anything but the child should feel like he/she has achieved something. For instance, tell your child that he can go out and meet his friends if he finishes his homework or alternatively you can gift him something that he’s wanted from a long time.

Getting your teens to study is no easy task. It does take time and effort, but it should become part of a daily routine that both you and your teen can enjoy more than dread.

Five big MBA admission trends in 2014.

2014, has kicked off with a lot of surprises for B-Schools. Last year, the UGC had revoked the governing rights of the AICTE which governs B-Schools in India on account of a Supreme Court verdict. This decision created a lot of problems as students were unaware as to the authority governing B-Schools. Recently the UGC clarified that B-Schools will be under the purview of the AICTE as before. While one issue was resolved another arose in the form of a study done by a MBA website which revealed that MBA aspirants feel, admission process to management colleges are cumbersome. The aspirants sought reduction in tuition fee, better public disclosure on placement track record and normalization process in the CAT qualifying scores. While this has highlighted a number of issues regarding B-Schools, business goes on as usual. This year, the admission process will be more streamlined and there are some trends we see catching on in 2014.

1.  WAT - The new yardstick

Writing ability test has been playing an important role in the second round of MBA admissions. Most of the IIMs and top B-Schools have substituted GD with the Writing Ability Test in a post CAT scenario. IIM A, IIM B, IIM C only use WAT for PI Round. The six new IIMs, namely IIM Ranchi, Raipur, Rohtak, Trichy, Udaipur and Kashipur, have started conducting a common admission process since the academic year 2011-13 and have substituted Group Discussion(GD) by written ability test (WAT). What this means is that writing ability has now become very important. The ability to express yourself through the written word is an important skill, but one which isn’t developed completely in school and college. Nevertheless regular practice should make you proficient in this regard.

2. Work Experience becoming more important

If you are a working professional, you stand a better chance to get an admission in a top B-School. IIMA awards 5-7% out of its 30 percent weightage, IIMB 10; IIMC 8; IIML 4; IIM Kashipur 5 and IIM Kozhikode provides 8 percent weightages respectively to candidates having post degree work experience.

3.  Woman candidates are the new rage

Probably one of the most interesting developments in recent times is the effect woman empowerment is having on top B-Schools. If you’re a female candidate you stand to get bonus points to get into your dream B-School. Top three IIMs A, B, C earlier didn’t provide any weightage to gender diversity but now old as well as new IIMs have begun assigning some points to fair sex. IIML awards 10; IIMC 3; IIMA and B have devised a formula to entertain more girl candidates out of their total weightage points; IIM Kashipur awards 7 points; IIM Rohtak and Raipur 20; other top ranked institutes have also started following suit. Women candidates have all the reason to smile on this count.

4. B-School no more engineers domain

MBA aspirants from other than engineering background used to have apprehensions before registering for CAT and XAT as getting admission in IIMs and XLRI was considered easy for the candidates with engineering background. But now the scene has changed. To encourage candidates from other streams the admission criteria in IIMs has changed with some points awarded to applicants from other disciplines. IIML awards 2 marks; IIM Rohtak 20; IIM Raipur 10 (Out of 30 awarded to female and non engineers).

5. Fading appeal of GD

Group discussions used to be held in the second round of MBA admissions in top colleges. However most top B-Schools have replaced it with WAT. However a few institutes still conduct the GD. IIM Lucknow, IIM Shillong, IIM Kozhikode all still conduct Group Discussion although the weightage is getting reduced year on year.

What to consider when choosing a B School.

Choosing a B School can be hard especially since there are so many choices and so many things to remember when choosing the right college. With the number of options available today, students need to spend a good amount of time researching different colleges. It’s always better to plan ahead, the process of choosing a B School. To help you along the way here is an 8 step primer of things to consider when choosing a B School.

1. Location

The biggest factor that comes into play when choosing a B School is the location. That is of course, unless you’ve secured yourself an admission into the prestigious IIMs and ISBs. If you haven’t or don’t see too many chances of that happening, choose a B School which is situated in the metro’s due to easy connectivity options and better opportunities for social interaction.

2. Faculty and Accreditation

You obviously want to get into a B School which has a great teaching staff. The best way to find that out is by enquiring about the teaching staff. See how many professors have more than 10 years of experience. If there are a good number of experienced professors, it’s usually a good sign for a B School. Also choose an accredited institute as ISO certification doesn’t mean much.

3. Peer Groups

It is important to know the legacy and kind of students that studied in the B School of your choice so you can take an informed decision regarding whether you want to join or not. Pick up the college brochure and see the alumni section. See which colleges your soon to be seniors came from. This helps you get an idea of the diversity and kind of people who will be your partners in this journey.

4. Fees

An MBA from a prestigious B School can cost a lot, but then that’s the price you have to pay for a good education. Nevertheless a good way to decide on how much fees you should be paying, is that you should be comparing your proposed average salary from placements within the college and calculate how many years it will take you to recover your initial investment. The shorter the better. Although some institutes are very expensive, the quality of education is also quite high, so if the best education is your criteria, then don’t shy away from spending the money.

5. Job Profiles

Companies recruit freshers at multiple levels with different pay packages. See what is the profile of jobs offered at the school. If the profile of jobs is good it may be a good idea to take an admission.

6. NRI/Management Quota

Many institutes offer management quota and NRI quota. If the college offers you a seat from this quota, then it should become clear that they are trying to make money off you. So don’t book a seat in the management quota unless you can afford it.

7. Companies associated with the college

It’s important to check the placement record of the college and the companies that have recruited from there. If you have a strong desire to work in a particular company this could help you achieve that by selecting the right college.

8. Foreign Trips/Laptops

Foreign Trips are for kids and if B Schools are offering it under the guise of field visits then it’s most likely not going to do your career any good. These foreign trips and laptops come at a cost and most of the times are not needed for a good MBA education.