Lessons Learned: 12 Tips for Students Entering High School by Joe

Lessons Learned: 12 Tips for Students Entering High School by Joe - April 2016 Scholarship Essay

Lessons Learned: 12 Tips for Students Entering High School

I don’t want to sound like a parent in this essay, but I do want to share some lessons I have learned now that I’m about to graduate from high school and enter college. Hopefully some of my younger student counterparts can benefit from some of these tips.

Take a “How to Study Course”: Take a “how to study” course as early as you can. Some schools offer a classroom version, but if that is not available to you, you usually can find classroom versions at special learning/tutoring centers or local colleges. It is also very common to find them online. Topics in these courses include how to efficiently read text books, novels and articles, how take and review lecture notes, how to research a topic, how to write efficiently and with clarity, how to improve your memory, how to use technology in school, how to take tests, and how to manage your time, etc. The objective of this is to improve your study, assignment execution and test taking skills in order to be more efficient and perform better.

Take AP Classes: Carefully explore and select advanced placement (AP) classes as early as you can in school. AP classes are good for preparing for college level work and they can get you college credit if you pass the AP exam.

Get the Scoop on Classes and Teachers: Prior to enrollment find out information (intelligence) from other students, parents and counselors, about prospective classes and teachers, so that if you have a choice, you can match yourself with a class and teacher that you can best learn from.

Network with Lots of Different People: This includes the students in the AP classes as well as that posse of friends you grew up with. Reach out to others besides your friends – even talking to those you don’t particularly have anything in common with at first glance. You will come to appreciate people with different perspectives and getting along with everyone pays off. Often relationships can lead to helping each other with school work.

Build Relationships with Instructors: Respect your instructors – even if the personality and/or teaching technique is not your favorite. Having a positive, respectful relationship with instructors, with them being assured that you are trying to do your best in the class could lead them to give you the benefit-of-the-doubt if you’re on the border between two grades. Also, that instructor may be one that you may later need to get a reference from for a scholarship or for entering a college. Having a positive relationship with them increases the chance that you will have their support.

Ask Questions, Interact: In class – don’t hesitate to ask questions if you don’t understand something and participate in class discussions. You may learn something and involvement improves your interpersonal and communication skills. It also demonstrates interest and engagement to your teacher.

Continually Improve Your Reading, Writing and Technology (Computers) Skills: College will involve a lot of reading and writing. The faster and better you are at it, the more successful you will be. Also – be extremely proficient on the use of technology (particularly computers). This will enable you to research information quickly and develop and present your thoughts efficiently.

Get Involved in Extracurricular Activities: Many colleges and scholarships will inquire about your extracurricular activities so it’s valuable to start building a resume early in your life. It is also fun, fulfilling and provides another opportunity to meet people and learn about the world. Sports are good, but academic, club and community service activities seem to be of greater importance to colleges and scholarship applications.

Take a SAT and/or ACT Preparation Course: These courses will expose you to the topics and type of questions and will prepare you for how to take the exam. They will help you identify weakness on specific test topics so that you can prepare further. Most colleges typically require test results from these exams and you increase your chance for acceptance and getting scholarships if you score well. Also – take the exam early (in your junior year) so you have time to retake it again to improve your score well before a college application date.

Look for Opportunities to Mentor Others: Look for an opportunity to tutor, mentor or teach others on a given topic. Often there are opportunities to tutor a fellow student in school, but there are also opportunities at churches, community centers, and learning/tutoring centers. When you coach others on a topic, you tend to get really well versed on it.

Be Physically Active – whether it is having fun in a sport you like, going to the gym or taking a hike. That being said don’t take any activity too seriously. The real benefit of activity is physical and mental wellbeing for the rest of your life. And if it is fun – it is easier to continue doing it.

Keep it Fun: Budget your time – and keep doing the non-academic (healthy) activities you enjoy. Don’t take school too seriously – just apply yourself, do your best – and then go have fun. There is more to life than straight “As”.

If you liked this essay and found this advice valuable, please indicate you liked it and pass it on others. – Thank you, Joe