Being successful in school is all about determination & is very much possible for anyone to achieve, so long as you are willing to make certain sacrifices. As an incoming senior, I’m grateful to share this advice because it has allowed me to flourish academically & socially.
Lose the phone:
You’re going to seriously need to limit phone usage at home, especially if you take Honors, AP, or IB courses. These classes could have you working until night, so any time you spend on Instagram at home is extremely precious time wasted. Understandably, our generation is attached to electronics. That’s why I recommend utilizing the breaks you have in school, such as: when you wait for class to start, when you go on snack breaks, when you wait in the car on your way to school, ect. It’ll feel satisfying that you engaged in at least some social media that day as opposed to none. When the time comes to do homework at home, put it away, unless you finish early. Besides, there are always weekends!
Complete all extra credit:
One of the most advantageous things to do in high school is to always complete extra credit assignments. It’s not uncommon to have bad days in high school; sometimes your test scores may suffer as a result of distractions or personal dilemmas. Therefore, It’s extremely convenient to have an extra high percentage in class, just in case you fail an assignment/test; that way your grade won’t suffer tremendously & you’ll have the luxury of not stressing to get your grade up.
Trick yourself into not procrastinating:
Procrastinating on big projects/assignments/studying is extremely tempting because many students don’t want to deal with the struggle. I’ve learned of a trick, which consists of the following: tell yourself that you are going to work for 5 minutes only. It takes less will to accomplish this & before you notice, you’ll have passed the 5-minute mark, making it easier to continue working.
Respect your teachers:
You should respect your teachers not only out of the goodness of your heart but also because they can become great allies to you during your high school career. I found myself creating strong bonds with my teachers, & it was founded upon respect. I had a higher likelihood of getting privileges, like extensions on homework when I experienced personal issues or when I had too much homework from other classes. This could seriously save you from a failed assignment or a low score. Having a good relationship with your teacher makes them adequate authors of your letters of recommendation for college application season as well, which doesn’t hurt!
-Yours,
Sissy Arenas
Kommentare