ds news." i'm livia. let's start with our top story for this week. her college is still several years away or just around the corner, we can all use some help with deciding where to apply.advice. >> if you're planning on going to college, there's a -- andword to

factors to consider. >> the most important thing to me, i think, is that it's, like, i want to have. >> the size of the campus and how much money and, like, if i get a scholarship. school and how big or small it is and kind of, like, the atmosphere and what the campus life is like, and then if they have,'m interested in and sports. >> i guess things like whether it's good for my major. >> to me, it's very important, one, to have the teachers who also, the connections that the school is able to give you, like, after -- the way they help you, like, apply for jobs. >> like i said, there are a consider. unfortunately, too many of us ones. to help us avoid making those by melissa cohen. she's an author and an expert on education. welcome. >> hi. it's a pleasure to be here.seems pretty scary for most of us.

it's one of the biggest decisions you'll make as a teenager, but it doesn't have to be the hardest.the top five mistakes teens make. so let's start with number five. you say that it's not smart to >> yes. parents, relatives, and friends often encourage us to go to the schools that they went to,me. just because they had a wonderful experience doesn't mean that you will, too. what's a good fit for one person isn't necessarily a good fit for another.acy help you to get in? >> no. being a legacy is just a factor on your application. it does not guarantee admission. >> okay.ext thing to avoid basing your school decisions on? >> the social life. just because a school has great parties, beaches, or skiing doese for you. you're there for to learn, not for an extended vacation. you need to make sure that the school offers the academics thato you can

>> moving on to number three. >> sports. just like with social life, just because a school has a greatke it a deciding factor. having good sports brings a lot more to the college experience. but unless you're playing on bonus. >> i guess bragging rights that your school makes the final four is not the best reason to apply there. what's the next mistake to avoid? >> yes. or friends is not a great reason to choose a school. they'll be more impressed with what you do with your time and how you thrive.won't be impressed at all. >> right. impress them with your accomplishments. so this brings us to your number-one reason to steer clear to apply for college. >> the harder a school is to get into doesn't necessarily mean it's the best education for you.ased on a variety of different factors, and each one is compiled differently. you need to make sure that the that you are interested in.

sweatshirt says. if you're not happy, you won't be successful. you need to be engaged on allive at college. >> great advice. thank you. >> thank you, and good luck. >> as with any importantarch. of course, talk to those whose opinions you value. your parents and the school guidance counselor are a good start.also check out this website. it's called ratemyprofessors.com. it's filled with reviews of thes of the schools themselves, all written by the students. just make sure that as you weigh your options, you keep focusedities. but that doesn't mean college can't be fun. just not too much fun. >> it's been said that if you snooze, you lose.r may not be true when it comes to hitting the snooze button on your alarm

according to the harvard medical and cons. first, the con. after hitting the snooze button, the remaining sleep you'll gettful as the extra uninterrupted sleep you would have gotten had you just set your alarm for the later time. got that? okay. now the pro.or a few minutes after the alarm goes off can help you wake up gradually, rather than just being jerked awake. depending on how you like tohoose whether to snooze or not to snooze. >> helping patients to heal with the power of pets.

s, pets are an important part of the family. but we'll meet a young girl who probably owes her life to a furry friend.he organization that makes this possible. >> would you like to say hi to clarabelle? >> meet the healthcare providers no money can buy.ve and give some

along with their owners, these are called pet partners. they are part of an organization their pets to visit the sick, the elderly, and disabled. >> the animals have an innatesomeone needs comfort. >> a little girl named jordan needed more than comfort when she was 5 years old.ally hurting one night, and then i had to go in the ambulance to the hospital. was causing unbearable pain. >> my daughter wouldn't let me touch her. she wouldn't let her fathertouch her. >> even after surgery, jordan was miserable. with a device drilled into her bone, she refused to get out of bed or even eat.hter was dying. she was dying.

the pet partner team of janelle and jenna. n we saw jenna, me and mommy, we were like, "why is there a dog in the hospital?"ame in my room, she just did tricks for me, and then she came up on the bed andorse. >> the bond was immediate, and so was the effect on jordan. after that cuddle, she agreed to a bargain.could take jenna for a walk. >> and so i ate some of my lunch, and i got out of bed, and i walked the dog.ordan was still hooked up to her medicine. but the little girl and the loving dog took a walk all around the hospital hallway -- >> my daughter was on the brink

bring her back. >> jenna!years ago. here's a happy reunion. >> hi, jenna!ne are happening all the time, all around the country. pet partners teams inspire smiles at all kinds of healthcare facilities --ple with learning challenges... at veterans hospitals... even at schools and libraries.e to dream." >> sherman the pig helps kids learn to read. >> pet partners has helped me build more confidence in my. >> and kids can be on the other side of the leash, as well. teens with pets who pass the training are welcome to become volunteers.ls recognize how effective pet partners can be. in fact, the experts see a measurable difference in their patients.nd and

>> we know that it also decreases perceptions of pain, because it helps people toly, really important. >> it all goes to show you, love is good medicine. for "teen kids news," i'm scott. twitter? in a single day, the number of words tweeted would fill a book. and not just an ordinary book,lion pages. let me give you an idea of just how big a book that would be. let's say you could read a page every 30 seconds.top day and night, it would take you more than two years to finish it. go ahead. impress your followers. tweet that. when they do, we'll show you what you

>> we all should know what to do in a medical emergency.ing you tips on first aid from the

>> sprains and strains are a pain. but a little first aid can go a long way. li the american red cross. what is the difference between a sprain and a strain?etching or tearing of ligaments at a joint. and a strain is the stretching or tearing of your muscles and tendons, so, just different body parts. >> so, let's all get on the ground, because if you hurt your ankle, you'd be on the ground.it's a sprain or a strain, we treat it the same way using the acronym rice -- r.i.c.e. immobilize, cold, and elevate. rest just means stay in the

if it's at an awkward angle, iway, 'cause straightening it out could cause the injury to be worse. immobilize really only comes into play if i need to move like if it's unsafe where i am. i want to make sure that her injury isn't gonna move from its position while we are moving, soething to keep it in place. cold is really one of the most important things, and that's exactly what it sounds like. an ice pack, a bag of frozen vegetables, anything -- to help reduce swelling. so, put a towel or some other material between her skin andce right over the injury site. and elevation. elevation is another way to reduce swelling. but it should only be done if it so if i can, i'm very gently gonna lift up her foot. can you grab that backpack right there? you can really use anything tod gently place it back down. so, that's all you would do for

r.i.c.e. -- rest, immobilize, cold, elevate. good to know. but remember, even with relatively minor injuries, it's important to get proper medical attention. for "tkn," i'm alexa.lose look at your state flag? you should, because you might be surprised at how much you can learn from it. >> if you ask someone what state they're from, and they hold up their hand like this, they're from michigan. here's detroit.ped like a mitten with a hat on it. michigan is made up of two peninsulas, the lower and the upper, called the "u.p." >> in english, the michiganek a pleasant peninsula, look about you." a peninsula is a body of land surrounded on three sides by water. and michigan has an extensive

they're michigan, huron, erie, and superior. >> and it's right there on the flag, the latin for "if you seek around you." you'll also find lots of water. michigan has more coastline than any state but alaska. >> this is actually how theur trappers that settled the land first got there. >> that's one of them on the shore in the center of the flag. although he's holding a gun,ful gesture, you might say. but then there's this word. >> tuebor means "i will defend" and dates back to 1835, when high between the neighboring states michigan and ohio that they almost went to war. >> there's more latin across the top.pluribus unum, "one from many," a salute to the diversity that helps make this country great. oh, almost forgot. the michigan town of colon is home to the biggest maker of magical supplies.

most famous and most successful musicians of all time. so you might be surprised to hear that when he took music in middle school, he barely passed,c." there's a moral here. if you have a dream, don't let a few setbacks make you feel you can't accomplish that dream. that "c" and turn it into a "k," as in king of rock 'n' roll. >> there's lots more ahead onon't go away.

>> throughout the year, we bring you videos from the website hooplaha. this week's video is on aabled teens do something they never

re, but it was a new challenge, and i've never done a snow sport. i've always been an amputee. and i wasn't very sporty, so iied a lot, which most people do, but, obviously, i was an easier target. it's different, because now i'm socializing with young disabled people.erience of being with other people with similar disabilities i think makes them feel a lot more self-assured. you get here, and half the kids and so it becomes from being a bit shy, it's, "right, let's get in the hot tub." legs come off. arms come off. >> it's just really important to have these programs so that people not only can get involved physically, but socially, emotionally. they can interact with theirtional activities with their peers and with their family in a

>> the confidence and the belief in themselves that they didn't have before is life-changing.lunteers, the privilege of being part of that is great. you can't help but come back. >> this trip means that i am able to ski.ce that i can actually ski, 'cause with an extensive list of disabilities like i have, it's hard to be allowed to do a lot of stuff.ol does a ski trip, but they would never be able to take me on it 'cause they don't have the equipment. they wouldn't feel comfortable doing it. so this trip is amazing for me.re in europe that does that what this does. we can't get closer to home, so we fly all the way from the u.k. to here just for this. we enjoy staying in winter park. but actually, the nscd is why we're here. >> each time you've come down by yourself, you've fallen once. >> yeah. >> now, if you saw that class ofs over there... >> they're falling a lot.

>> all of my instructors have been so nice, and they've pushedgot everything out of the trip i could. >> they might be using a walker. they might be using crutches or canes. but the beauty about skiing isyou can just put your feet on the ground, let the skis slide along the snow, and glide down the hill and have the wind in theirce that thrill. >> i enjoy skiing now, and i want to do it again, definitely want to do it again. >> only 27 players have ever hitruns in a single season. and of the first 16 times 50 or more home runs were hit in a single campaign, 15 of them were. some of those hall of famers include babe ruth, willie mays,

and of the first 16 times 50 ort in a single season, the only person to not be in the hall of fame to do so was roger maris in 1961.be ruth's single-season home run record with 61 home runs. i'm matt for "teen kids news."age is brought to you by the national road safety foundation. king ]

>> once again, we're with sandi masori, america's top balloon expert. she's showing us how to make balloon sculptures.f those sculptures you make are pretty complicated, like this one. can you tell us about this? >> well, this one, what makes this complicated -- this is a you didn't recognize it. but what make it complicated is not so much the bow part, but it's these double pinch twists on the arrow. so, these pinch twists are whatear ears and anytime we need to turn a corner or anything. but it's not what i would necessarily teach as the first balloon lesson. u get more comfortable with balloons, really becomes something that you're gonna use a lot of. but in this case, it's going to help us shoot the arrow. >> oh, my gosh! that really works! >> i know. those really fly. that's why i love making these so much, because -- and the thing is, once you bring those out, that's all you're

so, what if you're kind of more of a beginner? what's something easier to learn how to make? >> well, let's make a balloon heart. a balloon heart is made out of one balloon.ing it, we're actually just kind of shaping it by training the balloon, if you will, by folding it. so, i'm gonna give you a balloon, and i'm gonna take a balloon.at we're going to do is we're going to -- now, this balloon, it's fully inflated, but i've given it a good burp -- you know, pbht! let some air out so that it'st? so, the next thing that we're gonna do is we're gonna kind of push the air out of the tip there. and then we're going to tie thet like you are tying your shoelaces. and, you know, don't be afraid to stretch those pieces of balloons so that you can get them tied. >> all right. it's tied. >> okay. so, now we're gonna take it, and we're going to flip it around... >> okay. >> ...so that we have the bottom

like, use our stomach and our other body parts to kind of brace it. and what we're gonna do is we're gonna bring it in. you're going to squeeze all ofas you're bringing it in, especially the tip, the corner there, and then slowly let the air back into it. and this is gonna kind of train the balloon, and it's gonna make it take that shape. go, it'll be a heart. >> it's beautiful. look at that. >> yeah, it's something that's guaranteed to make anybody's day. you can embellish hats by adding it to it.side of it, or you can just be a standalone. i mean, who doesn't like to, you know, get love? >> yeah. [ chuckles ] so, these are not only cool to makee even simple balloon sculptures is a smart way to make money. if you want more information, check out our website. for "teen kids news," i'm emily. up for this edition of "teen kids news."

>> write to us at info@teenkidsnews.com. here's a shout-out to p.r. newswire for includingeir big screen in times square,