By Shay Embler
I know that the college process seems like ages away, and I am not writing this to stress you out, but I know there are so many steps that you can take now that will help you immensely in your later years of high school. Filling out college applications has forced me to reflect back on my choices from ninth and tenth grade. I am endlessly thankful that I chose to join volleyball and softball in my freshman year and that I have continued both for all of high school. On the other hand, I really wish I’d joined more x-blocks and done more activities inside and outside of schools. All of these choices show in the cumulation of your college application. That being said, here a few things I wish I knew at the beginning of high school:
- Work hard in class. This seems like an obvious one, but it is probably the most important. Freshmen and sophomore students are so far from the college process that they don’t consider the impact of their grades on their college applications. But the reality is that filling in a C or D on the chart when you self-report your grades is a huge downer, and the people that are reading your applications see those grades. If you don’t feel like you’re doing well in a class, meet with your teacher! See if you can bring up your grade with some extra credit, because putting in those couple of hours per week can make all the difference.
- Join clubs and sports. The difference between having yearbook and basketball for all four years of high school versus having them only in your junior and senior year is significant. Colleges love to see consistency and variety in your extracurriculars. Additionally, joining these extracurriculars can help you realize what your interests are, and the ones that you want to continue throughout high school. Colleges equally value jobs, volunteer work, or learning that you were responsible for taking care of a family member after school. These are all experiences you can write about in your college application.
- Build positive relationships with teachers. The reality is that not only are the teachers the ones deciding your grades, two of them will be writing your college recommendations. These are crucial for colleges as a method of gaining insight into who you are as a student. Participating in class and meeting with teachers outside of class leaves them with a much better impression of you than if you never raise your hand in class and have never made any attempt to improve the quality of your work. Think about who you could see writing your applications, and keep that in mind at the end of tenth grade when you are choosing your electives. And by the end of eleventh grade, you want to have two teachers that appreciate your effort and improvement throughout your high school career and are willing to write your college recommendations.
- Get into good sleeping, eating, and exercise habits. Although these are not directly academic, they are incredibly influential to your attitude and performance in school. Once you get into a regimen of doing a sport or exercising after school, eating a healthy dinner, and going to bed early, that sticks with you throughout your four years. And trust me, once your in eleventh grade, you’ll appreciate the physical and mental feeling of being the healthiest version of yourself. Oh, and please eat breakfast.
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