How To High School
Being a high school student can be one of the most frustrating four years of life for many students. Adolescence is a time of transition from childhood to adulthood, which can get confusing and overwhelming for many teenagers. Some stressors include navigating college applications, academic workloads, and juggling extracurricular activities with balancing a social life. . During this time, the brain is also developing in ways that will impact your future self forever.
Here are some ways you can manage your time and energy into creating the best version of your young-adult self:
- Create a goals list
Sometimes when we have too many things on our plate, we get nothing done. This is due to the stress our brains feel, thus the brain wanting to alleviate that stress by not focusing on those tasks. Creating a goals list allows you to visualize all of the things you’d like to accomplish and motivates you to check off your goals, one-by-one. Often times, physically writing down these goals with a paper and pen, and just sticking that note to a wall that we will look at everyday will make you look at that list every day and remind you to get it done! It would be useful to prioritize this list from most to least important so you can understand in which order these items should be completed.
- Make a plan
It’s okay to not know what you’re doing sometimes! We’ve all been there. Whether it’s a plan of how to get through freshman year, or how to make it to graduation with flying colors, creating a plan is the first step. Take some time to write out a plan of what you want out of your high school experience. Do you want to be the captain of the basketball team? Do you want to be the valedictorian at graduation? Which clubs peak your interest? Who can you go to when you feel overwhelmed?
Having this database in the back of your mind will lower your stress and worries about how to navigate high school. Once you have your goal in mind, you can create this plan by sitting down with an advisor or an adult who may have had a similar past and can help you navigate. If you do not have a readily-available source, you can always look online.
If you are still struggling to find information, create your own information! Even if your plan doesn’t go 100% accordingly, that’s alright- plans are always made to be updated. Start with your overarching goal, and then make short term goals in between. Set a timed-plan and be specific about what you will do and how it will help you get to your overall goal. Using SMART goals is a great way to create a strong plan!
- Ask for help.
We’re all human. We all have times of weakness and need a helping hand, especially in high school. Sometimes we think we are all alone, but every single student in that school is also experiencing those same feelings. If you feel you are struggling academically, reach out to your teachers and let them know. If their resources are not helping, there are many services that can get you back on track, including tutoring on both the individual and group pace. Ask for tutoring services. If you feel especially down or confused, talk to your guidance counselor for resources to understand your feelings better. There is no shame in asking for a helping hand.
- Think, but don’t stress, about post-high school life.
After high school is a confusing time- you are a young adult trying to navigate a new world. you have options! Many students choose to begin their post-high school life continuing their studies at college. This is a very safe and recommended path for young adults. College allows you to explore your interests, have more freedom, meet new young adults, while still being immersed in academia. To get there, there are some crucial steps. This includes the college portfolio of SATs/ACTs, recommendation letters, resumes, and more! At Gooroo, we offer tutoring for every college admissions factor, and as a course as a whole, making sure you get accepted into your top school!
These are all some tough topics to think about at the ages of 13-18. However, they are all crucial in order to set a strong foundation for the following years of life. Through all of it though, have fun! This is an exciting time in your life, and you will remember it forever! Enjoy your time being a teenager, but remember, in the end, only you are responsible for your future, so make sure to keep your future-self in mind.
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