By Failing to Prepare, You Are Preparing to Fail
High school is an exciting time for us to learn, explore, grow, and dream. We may not know where we want to go to college or what we want to study when we begin our freshman year but there are certain things that we can all do to get ready to choose, apply to, and be accepted to a wonderful college. These four years of high school are the time when we start to really plan our future.
Classes and Exams
Working hard in high school is the first step toward securing a spot in a good college. By developing our academic interests, we can often take classes that will prepare us for the college degree program of our choice. We don’t need to know what major we’ll pursue in preparation; but taking classes in our primary academic interests will best allow us to build on that knowledge in college.
Taking the most difficult classes available, such as AP, IB, Dual Enrollment, and Honors, will provide you with the added benefit of earning college credit. These classes will not only improve your GPA, but they will also show universities that you chose to challenge yourself academically by choosing high-level classes that are marked as such on your high school transcript. This desire demonstrates to a college board that you are more prepared for college. It’s crucial to remember, however, to stay true to yourself. If these classes are too challenging for you, be prepared to work hard and put in your best effort.
Extracurricular Activities
Participating in extracurricular activities makes high school much more fascinating and enjoyable. These extracurricular activities also allow us to obtain skills that we wouldn’t be able to master from textbooks and exams alone. We can acquire important skills such as teamwork, public speaking, creativity, leadership, and self-awareness through extracurricular activities. With all the school work we receive and all the exams we sit through, having these extracurricular activities can be our way of relaxing and taking a break from everything stressful.
As we enter high school, we will be exposed to a variety of different activities, including sports, theater, music, art, debate, and computer science. Try out for as many groups, teams, and activities as you can because you’ll never know if you enjoy anything unless you give it a shot. Allowing yourself enough time to flourish in the activities that are most important to you but also appearing “well-rounded” without taking on too many responsibilities is essential. It’s possible that turning a hobby into a passion may eventually lead to a certain field of study and career choice.
Build Relationships with Mentors
Begin by getting to know your mentors right away. Whether they are coaches, professors or even your parents, they are potential mentors who can help you succeed. If we truly look for them, we can get to know the people that make us say, “I want to be like them when I grow up!” or “I want to do that job when I graduate!”. We can learn from their failures and achievements, discuss our ambitions and concerns with them, and seek counsel from them regarding colleges. They can provide us with new opportunities and assist us in identifying our strengths and flaws. They will make suggestions for improvement and offer advice while making selections. We might also get a letter of recommendation from them. Whether they mentally or physically prepare us for college, these mentors are very important to guarantee our success in the future.
Mental Preparation
Going to college is a major step, and it’s critical not to become overwhelmed. Remind yourself that this is a period of change for everyone, not just you, to keep a level head. It’s okay if things feel a little awkward at first. Accept that you’ve entered a new stage of life, which will be unfamiliar for a while. College will open your eyes in a variety of ways. It’s a time to rediscover yourself, discover new hobbies, question old beliefs, and meet new people from diverse backgrounds. So, take a chance and try something new. Join a club that sparks your interest. The goal is to challenge your thinking while also making the most of this period of your life. Embrace the notion of exploration. It’s ideal to approach everything new with a positive outlook, but life, as we all know, has its ups and downs. It’s critical to know where to get help. Figure out how to properly manage your stress and surround yourself with a strong support system of friends and family. It’s fine if you’re not sure what you want to do with your life. Going to college is mostly intended to provide you with four years to find out what you want to do with your life. Explore the school, make new acquaintances, and keep a cheerful attitude throughout.
College preparation involves time, effort, and commitment. We must be prepared for the challenges we will confront once we get at college and begin our education. We will continue to grow, learn, and advance in all of our academic goals once we reach. The time we invest now in college preparation and work will accomplish academic achievement and a lifetime of learning. We graduated middle school, we will soon graduate high school and eventually we’ll even be graduated from college. Once we’re actually in the real world, things will be different and that’s good.
“Welcome to the real world. It sucks. You’re gonna love it!” -Monica Geller
