To Younger Students: Know Your Goals by Samantha

To Younger Students: Know Your Goals by Samantha - April 2016 Scholarship Essay

You’ll hear everyone say it. Your teachers, upperclassmen, parents...everyone. “Don’t wait until Junior/Senior year to pull your grades together!” Or “Freshman and Sophomore years matter!” And this is all true. Students that don’t take school seriously until College is fastly approaching fill their minds with regret every time wishing they turned in that freshman history essay or studied more for the sophomore math midterm. But each freshman hears the same warning signs and more likely than not, ignores them. How do you break this never ending cycle of not listening then wishing you did? Here is how:

Underclassmen: Know your end goal. Where do you want to end up after high school? Now, this may seem like a request too soon for a 15 year old to be ready and fully capable to answer. But in reality, it’s simple. You don’t have to know the specifics, but almost every student wishing to pursue a higher education can lay the foundation. You want to go to a state school, or a good academic school, a big sports team school, a beautiful campus, if you already know your major-- one with a strong program in that field, or even one in a specific state you just love and must be in. What ever it may be that is a must have to your college experience, Search college options that meet your liking.
Generalize a broad category that will put you into a type of college choice, and do your research! Read reviews, check their majors, take web tours. Find out their admissions requirements, what the average GPA, test scores, and extra curricular hours they suggest to be a strong candidate.
Don't let this intimidate you! You are not bound to these specific schools. But knowing ultimately the GPA you'll want to end up with, what scores will be satisfactory, and if you need to become more involved with your community will keep you on track and aware of the upcoming future, so you do not have to be a senior with a dream school that you now cannot get into because you did not do enough in your earlier high school career.
College is a big deal, and although it may seem far away, it is just around the corner. Every educational choice you make in every course throughout high school will have some effect on your overall application to college. Set and ball park goals based on what you think you may be looking for in a college to give you a big eye opener early to protect yourself from not meeting admission requirements later. Trust me...you will thank yourself later!