A message
to all high school students:
Every day of your high
school education contributes to your future: college, career, and income. Such
things appear remote and far away, but you must plan for your future success in
addition to maintaining your happiness during high school. It is difficult to
balance the present and the future, but such a skill is necessary…those who
live for tomorrow have nothing for today, but those who live for today have
nothing for tomorrow.
A message
to all freshmen:
You just finished middle or
junior high school and hopefully you have reflected over your mistakes and
successes during the last three years. Remember that sense of regret and do
your best in high school in accordance with your goals and dreams. Graduation
and college may seem distant, but how well you do in freshman year will impact
your GPA, class rank, and record of school involvement. You want to reap awards
from your hard work during high school, so please keep one eye toward the
future this year.
A message
to all sophomores:
Are the mistakes of your
freshman year haunting you? You still have time to bump up your GPA and
academic performance. As a sophomore, you have completely settled into high
school life and will find balancing social life and academic life easier. Start
preparing for the SAT and/or ACT and researching colleges and universities (do
you need to take any SAT Subject Tests?). Begin to focus more on your studies.
A message
to all juniors:
Besides continuing your
high school education, set up a plan for college admissions. When will you take
your admissions tests (SAT and ACT)? What colleges will you consider? What
experiences and/or commitments can you write about in college essays? If you
have no or a few answers for the last question, start planning on making some
experiences and commitments this year. Also, open your eyes to the world around
you; sometimes, the best college essays are insightful observations of the most
mundane events and surroundings.
A message
to all seniors:
Presently, I am at this
stage, and I bet that you have (as I have) self-diagnosed your condition as
senioritis. Well, you must persevere and keep an eye on your academic
performance. I wish you luck in completing your applications and receiving
decisions later in the school year. Hopefully your performance in the last
three years has not negatively impacted your chances of attending your dream
college. After being accepted to a college, continue to do well in school.
Colleges keep an eye on their incoming freshmen’s performance during the second
semesters of their senior years. No one wants to receive that letter saying you
have been denied admission due to poor performance.
A message
to all high school students:
Keep the advice given to
your grade level close to heart while still having fun in high school. Make
friends, attend football games, party, and go to prom; just remember to keep an
eye on your future and your dreams.
All of the suggestions made in this post are excellent! As a mom of two college students, one of the most beneficial tasks my daughters did during college was to keep a log of all of their activities beginning the summer of their 8th grade year (since that's the official beginning of high school after being promoted to the ninth grade). This log detailed their activities, the time given to that activity, the date(s), and the leader. This log was extremely beneficial when filling out scholarships and applications. Be sure to record involvement in clubs, seminars, camps, leadership roles, athletics, awards, extra classes, volunteer work, etc. Best of luck to you all! ~Nicole Emmert
ReplyDelete*Correction to my above post-- the log is kept during high school to help with college applications and scholarships; yet also, keeping a log in college would also be helpful for job applications and continuing scholarships. ~Nicole Emmert
ReplyDeleteCharlotte,
ReplyDeleteI love this article and how you break it down from freshmen year to senior year. A lot of times we forget to reflect on the past and how much it impacts both the present and future. I will be sure to pass this on to my freshmen as well as have my seniors reflect on there experiences to see where they have been. Thank you for such a insightful article.
You have great perspective on high school lifestyle! It is very difficult for high school students to keep one eye on their future while focusing on the day to day responsibilities. Your thoughts on the mindset of each year in high school was also enlightening! Great to hear the perspective of a current senior who has given much reflection to where they are, where they have been, and where they are headed after graduation!
ReplyDelete"Every day of your high school education contributes to your future: college, career, and income." A great reminder for all students.
ReplyDeleteI like this post a lot! it has great perspective and good tips for highschool students. i will keep this in mind for college.
ReplyDelete