<p>As summer break is approaching, high school is only 2-3 months away!! Will you please give me some advice, in terms of academics, clubs, running for leadership positions, participating in athletics, scholarships, college admissions, etc. :)</p>
<p>Thank you and all of your comments will be greatly appreciated :) :) :)</p>
<p>Enjoy high school and realize that this mentality before you even start high school will lead to a nearly inevitable mental collapse, if not a severe lack of experience.</p>
<p>Check out the class of 2015 thread :).</p>
<p>Focus on grades and do interesting things. Try to start early but make your extracurriculars things that you like, not things that you do because you’ll have to apply to colleges in a few years. Don’t think that club presidencies mean anything (not that you shouldn’t participate in clubs).</p>
<p>Find a good community activity that is good for the community to work on outside of high school. It is a better EC than doing everything from school and you can start working on it this summer. If you can’t decide on one, pick two.</p>
<p>Remember, high school ECs are overrated on CC (everyone lists every club in school) since you really dont spend a lot of time at school on more than one or two activities. So it will give you more time to work on if the activity is not part of the school.</p>
<p>Here is the best advice I can give you:
<p>Guess how much time those ECs took? Almost none. I only interned for a summer. I worked with the political journal for less than a year by the time I applied to colleges. Again, I did other more typical ECs and got a few decent awards but I think the ones above put me apart from the crowd. Do cool, weird stuff and take every opportunity you can. </p>
<ul>
<li><p>Study for your SATs/PSATs early. Like fall of sophomore year. </p></li>
<li><p>Get good enough grades. I think getting all As and one B per year is acceptable for all colleges including the ivies. I have gotten at least one B every year, sometimes more, and was still admitted to excellent colleges. </p></li>
<li><p>Don’t let your life revolve around college/achievement. Be yourself and when it comes time to apply to college, you will have a strong sense of self that will both be personally fulfilling and wildly attractive to adcoms.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Play a sport, work hard in 9th grade, get some community service, and take hard classes.</p>
<p>That’s it from me</p>
<p>^ Plus, don’t listen to this guy about not being a varsity athlete. Playing a sport will help you alleviate some stress after school, and it’ll get a good group of friends. Plus, in the long run, being athletic is more important than “interning with the lieutenant governor for one summer” .</p>
<p>ALL INCOMING FRESHMAN SHOULD READ:</p>
<p>“How to be a High School Superstar” by Cal Newport</p>
<ol>
<li>Have a challenging schedule.</li>
</ol>
<p>-That means taking courses that are not too easy, but will make you use your brain, that way you won’t be bored in class.</p>
<ol>
<li>Do a club.</li>
</ol>
<ul>
<li>Participate in clubs that you are INTERESTED in, not just to fill your college resume. If you don’t find any clubs that you like, create one, or participate in one out of school. Clubs are also good ways to find people with the same interests.</li>
</ul>
<ol>
<li>Play a sport.</li>
</ol>
<p>-Sports are also another way to find people with the same interests. It can also help to de-stress after school, if you are experiencing any drama. Another good reason, they are FUN!</p>
<ol>
<li>Community Service</li>
</ol>
<p>-Always give back to your community. It shows you are a self-less person. It always feels good to know that you are doing the world good. It also has the benefits of 2 and 3.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Don’t let being #1 ruin your life.
-Practically everyone wants to be the next valedictorian, or take the most clubs/sports/courses than everyone else. Do not let it lead your life. You will not be able to enjoy your time in high school.</p></li>
<li><p>Don’t let too much drama faze you.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>-Everyone knows that high school is THE place for drama to happen. Many cliques want you to look and feel a certain way, but do not let this happen to you. Be who you want to be. If they make fun of you, or totally become fake and try to ruin your life, pay them no mind. High school is surreal. Most of it is fake. Do not be surprised if a friendship breaks off. Try to find the true people in your life and stick with them.</p>
<p>All in all, high school can be fun. It just depends on what you make of it.</p>
<p>I recommend reading a book called, “High School’s Not Forever” by Jane Bluestein and Eric D. Katz. Best book about high school I ever read. Got in 8th grade. A life saver.</p>
<p>Get off this forum.</p>
<p>OMG thank you so much! Im receiving a lot of help! :)</p>
<p>In high school the most important thing you can do is stay true to yourself. There’s going to drama and trouble all around you and it is important to not let those people get into your head or influence your choices.
Join a club or do a sport, extra curricular activities are a great way to meet new people,gain new experiences and be a part of your school community.
GO TO CLASS! Go to class everyday, do not cut.
If you need help especially in classes like math and science, ask for help right away because these are classes that you can quickly fall behind in.
It’s important to challenge yourself but don’t challenge yourself so much that the work load is unbearable.
Say hi to the people you say next to. Just be friendly because more then likely you will sit next to a new person during every class. Most importantly be sure to keep a balance between extra curricular, school work and your social life because it’s important to not be too overworked, you’re only a freshman you need to have fun.</p>
<p>Rayna3’s advice is what I was going to say. Go check that Cal Newport book (“How to be a High School Superstar”) out of the library this week and read it over the summer. You will have a MUCH better high school experience if you do (believe me, it is about how to stand out in high school without making yourself crazy with overscheduling). You are at just the right age to read it and get the most out of it over the next four years!</p>
<p>
What she actually said was:
</p>
<p>^Thank you. I appreciate that you don’t assume I’m a guy also. I am a girl who played plenty of varsity sports and enjoyed them. If you like them do them but don’t feel pressured for college apps because they will not help unless you are recruitable. </p>
<p>My advice is essentially a brief summary of Cal Newport’s book. I strongly suggest reading it. You will most probably be happy and more successful if you follow his suggestions.</p>
<p>I would disagree with raiderade and agree with her as well.
She’s absolutely right about varsity sports and pressure. I completely agree. Not being athletic cannot hurt you.
However, being a decent varsity athlete can give you the extra push in terms of ECs and diversity. Take Yale, where I’m matriculating. Yale is extremely competitive in admissions. A varsity athlete can really standout in a crowd of 2350 saxophones (I’m insulting no one, and I’m only generalizing). Being a varsity athlete can help you tremendously in terms of standing out and diversity. But not being one can’t hurt you.</p>
<p>Go in knowing you obviously need to do well academically. Other than that, be involved in what you like 
If you like sports, then try out! Theater, try out! Have fun You may have to make choices though. This year I couldn’t be in the school play in the fall because I was playing a sport at the same time. Our theater teacher is amazing, and I totally respect her reason! I didn’t want to give up my sport because I had been playing since the seventh grade! I did participate in something for theater in the spring though I would say to make sure and get involved in what’s fun or important to you You don’t want to look back and regret that you didn’t do something that you really had wanted to! Enjoy high school…it’s great :)</p>
<p>Omg, Cal Newport’s book is very insightful. Every ambitious student should have it on their shelf!</p>