With only a few months left in my high school career, I look back on my decisions and feel like I am college ready. In the past weeks, I have broken down how to be college ready for freshmen, sophomores,juniors, and seniors. Sadly this isn’t the case with all of my graduating class. Even though most of them will be accepted into college, most of them will not be able to keep up with the responsibilities of college.
If you plan on going to college, take AP courses. They will challenge you and your grades might not be as good, but AP classes will help you study like you will when you are in college. If you struggle through AP classes, try different ways to study, it is better for you to figure out what works best for you now than when the college courses begin and you are drowning in work. You can’t expect to be successful in college if you breeze through honors or regular classes with an easy A. Taking challenging courses will also help to increase your ACT and/or SAT scores.
A couple weeks ago I discussed the ACT and how it is important if you want a big scholarship. I stress this because most students rely on their GPA to get scholarships, but end up with next to nothing because they weren’t focused on the right area. Most of the scholarships at the schools I researched (mostly southern schools) had a minimum GPA that was as low as a 3.0. So a student that has a 3.0 with an ACT score of 28 will receive more scholarship than a student that has a 4.0 with an ACT score of 24. What level of scholarship you get is determined by your ACT score. I don’t agree with the system, but if you want to get a scholarship you will have to put effort into the ACT.
Be involved in as much as you can. You won’t ever have the opportunity to be involved in so many activities while in school. College clubs and sports take up a lot of time so you have to pick and choose what you are involved in. Savor your experience; I will miss going to games where I know everyone playing and the people in the stands. I won’t ever be able to have that again.
I speak from my experience and the experience of others in my position. Don’t wish away your high school years. They are important in getting you ready for your future. There are a lot of changes that have occurred in me since I was a freshman. I wish I had not cared what everyone else thought of me. When I was a freshman, I thought the seniors were so much older and wiser than me. It is so not true. Most people don’t mature until much later than high school. They might have high school figured out, but life is far from being figured out. Take this in consideration when dealing with others in high school by acting with empathy and helpfulness instead of judgment. This mindset will not only serve you well in high school but throughout your life.
