High School: Not for Dummies by Jade

High School: Not for Dummies by Jade - June 2014 Scholarship Essay

If I were to write a book, it would be about how to survive/ thrive in high school. I would write about this because there are many things that I wish I would've known about before going through high school.

Chapter one would be all about freshman year. I would make sure it said things like get good grades, make sure to take a few fun classes, and don’t join too many clubs. Thinking back, I am so glad I tried really hard freshman year because those grades stayed with me all through high school. I am also happy I took some fun classes because it made going from middle school to high school a little bit easier. As for clubs, I joined too many all at once my freshman year. I was unable to keep up with them all through high school.

Chapter two would be about sophomore year. I would tell them to take some harder classes, have a study hall, and make sure to get involved. I would tell them to take harder classes because junior year will be the worst, so they need to be prepared. If you slack off your freshman and sophomore year, junior year will destroy you. Also, you should have a study hall because any extra study time helps. Sophomore year is also a time to build relationships with teachers. Make sure they know who you are, so during junior and senior year if you need a letter of commendation, help on a project, or anything, they will be able to remember you.

Chapter three would be junior year, of course. Junior year is the hardest for almost everyone. I would say you need to stay focused, know your limits, and start filling out scholarships. Junior year is hard because your teachers are trying to prepare you for college and the ACT/SAT. If you stay focused and work hard, you will make it through and be well prepared for the years of schooling to come. Also, know your limits. If you know math is a stressful subject for you, don’t take more than one class. Same goes for every subject. Push yourself, but know your limits. Finally for junior year, fill out scholarship applications!! Don’t wait until the end of your senior year of high school to do so. College is expensive, so get on top of your game before it is too late.

Senior year would be chapter four. A few suggestions for that would be: visit colleges early, take some hard classes, and stay focused. I didn't start visiting colleges until about second quarter of senior year, which was a big mistake. I ended up visiting five colleges and not making my decision until April. It was so stressful. That is why I would write about visiting early. There is more money to be earned by colleges, you can get better housing, and the sooner you choose, the less stressed you will be. As for the harder classes, I did do that. I took a challenging math class my senior year. It was not fun in any way, but I do feel better prepared for college. I did much better on my placement test, compared to my friends who did not take math their senior year. Lastly, staying focused all through senior year is one difficult task. Some people may start zoning out in September. I stayed focused until about March. The longer you stay focused, the better you will do in school not only senior year, but freshman year. You carry your study habits from high school over to college. Don’t be caught slacking your freshman year of college!