The worst thing you can do while in high school is act without regard of what the consequences will be. Shortcuts and bad decisions are going to catch up with you eventually. If you take the easiest classes offered, college courses are going to be next to impossible to pass. Sneaking around doing things that you know you are not suppose to be doing are going to be hard to control when you are on your own and everyone else is doing the same thing.

When choosing easier classes, you are only procrastinating what you eventually will have to learn. Instead of waiting to take harder classes until college and having to learn how to study for three college courses while dealing with all your new responsibilities, try to take AP classes and get a head start for college. Taking AP classes ahead of time will help you be more familiar with the subjects and types of test you will see in college classes. Often students don’t want to put effort into their classes, they want to be able to make good grades without studying. This mindset hurts them when they begin college classes. If you don’t study in college you will flunk out.

If you are looking forward to college because it will let you escape from your parents rules or give you a chance to be able to do and get away with whatever you want, you will struggle. If you treat college as one big party, you will waste your money and most likely not make it to graduation.

Academics are important and it is why you are attending college, but it is also finding out who you are without your parents or lifelong friends around you. You won’t be held accountable to wait until 21 to drink or to not cheat on tests. How you act reflects your character and it is all up to you.

Surround yourself with friends that will hold you accountable for your actions and expect nothing else but your best. Don’t set yourself up to be a drop out your freshmen year. Take my advice from last week into consideration when navigating through high school.