High school will always seem easier once you graduate. You will look back and had wished you could have known the things you will know in the future. These “things” are not academic-related per se, but things that would have helped you succeed more while you are in high school to better prepare for college. So here are the top 8 tips of not only surviving in high school, but also thriving to better prepare you for college:
1. Prepare For College In Advance
There is no such thing as preparing too early. College will always seem so far away, especially when you are only in freshmen year, but not preparing early is a huge mistake. Taking the right advanced courses is one thing, but taking a college’s required courses should be priority. Do the research to learn about the different colleges that you are interested in and take a visit when you can. Lastly, you can never prepare for the SATs early enough. Having high SAT scores are one of the key factors of getting into the colleges of your choice. Just don’t wait until senior or even junior year to start your preparation.
2. Take Leadership Roles
Getting involved in everything is not always the way to win over the college admissions board. What they are truly looking for is quality, meaning the level of commitment in your extra-curricular activities. The best way to show commitment is through leadership. You don’t have to the student body president or the captain of a sports team, but do take every opportunity to get involved in some sort of leadership role. Quality trumps quantity when it comes to college admissions.
3. Have A Mentor
Not having someone to help guide you in the right direction can only make your high school life more difficult. Sure, you can get by without having a mentor, but why pass up on that opportunity? A mentor can help you understand yourself better and show you what the best path are to take. Even it is just your guidance counselor, a parent or even your SAT tutor, get yourself a mentor!
4. Read More Books
Your English teacher assigns you certain books for a reason. They not only help you to think and write more intellectually, but it helps you to get into a better habit when you are in college. When you are in college, no matter what the subject, there will be A LOT of reading. Get into the habit of reading on a regular basis. Not only are some of these books for your own academic purpose, but you will also find yourself talking about some of them when you are having adult conversations one day.
5. Give Up On Social Media
Social media is very integral parts of everyone’s lives now; however, do not waste valuable hours playing around on your Facebook and Instagram. These are precious time that you can use to get out and play sports or do something more productive with your life. Who cares about having a thousand followers on Instagram—take it down to a bare minimum. Focus on building real relationships outside of your social profile.
6. Do Not Cram For Exams
This is the worst habit to develop during high school because you will carry it with you to college. Unfortunately in college, you will be getting slammed with one exam after another, so cramming will only make your life miserable. It not only makes you more tired and inattentive for classes, but you will miss questions that you would have known had you not crammed down information. Give yourself enough time to study in advance, especially if they are AP exams. Do something on a daily basis, like studying for the exam one hour a day for a week ahead. Do whatever it takes to avoid developing this habit!