<p>Advice: Enjoy every minute of high school because it goes by fast. It may be clich</p>
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<p>Not really. Ultimately, a lot of us want to go to top colleges because we think it will enhance our social statuses.</p>
<p>Socially I’m kind of a loser, but no one in my school is ambitious enough to make fun of anyone, so I was happy most of the time.</p>
<p>Still not sure how a freshman/sophomore benefits from this site. Get good grades in tough classes and do ECs you like, and you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>To be fair, the only time I got B’s on my English papers is when I wrote them more than a day before they were due. There’s just something about that adrenaline pumping through your veins.</p>
<p>Also, be efficient. By that, I mean don’t do homework that isn’t for a grade.</p>
<p>@pittpanther50
Considering that its summer, you could probably use the advice that I gave to StarJazzy regarding extracurriculars. Remember, depth not breadth. I went to a summer program and was given the opportunity to research in a relatively new field.</p>
<p>Write an essay that reveals your personality/interests. "On writing the college Application Essay: The Key to Acceptance and the College of your Choice " by Harry Bauld is another great book that I’d highly recommend. That and your extracurriculars separate you from Applicant #5483483</p>
<p>Get great grades in challenging classes, that’s what gets your foot into the door but don’t overwhelm yourself</p>
<p>Good luck</p>
<p>@HalcyonHeather The dictionary app is much faster than finding the word in the dictionary, and the library very close to my house, so I couldn’t get dropped off every day for homework (and it closes at 6 or something). My school library probably closes less than 1 hour after school.</p>
<p>Procrastinating isn’t bad if you still get your work done. Stop making excuses and just do your work.</p>
<p>I just can’t work on a project a few days before the due date, because I get so distracted and I feel like there’s no point working on it this “early”. But when I have pressure on the last day, I can easily concentrate. However, this probably isn’t a good method (to procrastinate).</p>
<p>I got straight A’s by doing just that, so it obviously works for some people. Only you know if it works for you though.</p>
<p>The problem isn’t procrastinating, the problem is the ability to set your priorities in a way that minimizes stress and overwhelmed feelings. Some people tend to work better under pressure than others. Others just want to be able to go to sleep before 10</p>
<p>I’d love to go to sleep before 10, but even if I tried, I couldn’t fall asleep, because I have too much energy. Maybe I should do a bunch of ECs and/or a rigorous sport so that I have to manage my time wisely.</p>
<p>Okay Freshmen…one word of advice :</p>
<p>Most teachers will cut you slack 1st semester, they’ll be easy on you, and won’t expect much.
Once 2nd semester comes, STEP IT UP. They stop tolerating the “lost puppy” attitude, they stop giving retakes, and they stop going slow. You are no longer new to the school, and they won’t treat you like you are.</p>
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<p>Depending on the school, getting an A on an assignment might not mean it was well-written or all that good. In some classes, getting good grades just means you did better work than most of your classmates, many of whom are underachieving.</p>
<p>Do the best you can at the start of the year If you make good grades to start it makes life a lot easier on you and gains a good reputation with teachers making it easier to get good grades</p>
<p>^ Agreed. Contribute in class, and teachers will generally give you the benefit of the doubt on a test.</p>
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<p>This is true, but I go to one of the best schools (SAT score wise) in my major metropolitan area.</p>
<p>Halcyon is correct. Though teachers don’t “Bell Curve” on most assignments. They will assign a grade based on whether a project was better than the average, or worse than the average.</p>
<p>Take your SAT IIs right after you take the AP class, not October of your senior year.</p>
<p>Get involved in academic competitions, but don’t take them too seriously, focus on improving your skills instead. If you learn stuff thoroughly, grades and awards will follow.</p>
<p>Get 8 hours of sleep a night. I got 5 hours a night in high school and it produced actual mental illness.</p>
<p>ADVICE: </p>
<p>Work your butt off.
Volunteer for SOMETHING THAT ACTUALLY IMPACTS PEOPLE.
Be aware of what you post online.
Try and have healthy relationships with those around you.
Yes, sleep is important but it’s okay to sacrifice a few hours if necessary.
Get good grades.
Choose the most challenging class for YOU.
Don’t compare yourself to other people.</p>
<p>to actually follow the last sentence of edrews’s advice, it would probably be better to get off cc :)</p>
<p>Lol my teachers never marked to the average 
It’s always out of the total.</p>
<p>I don’t think most teachers actually grade on a curve, but they’re going to subconsciously compare you to the people around you. If you’re better than everyone else (on more subjective assignments like essays), you’re going to get a good grade because you’ll look better to the teacher by comparison even if you’re not actually that good.
Of course, colleges look at how you did in the context of your school as well. My main point was that good writing pretty much always takes time and you shouldn’t procrastinate too much on writing assignments lest you fail to develop your writing skills enough to write awesome admissions essays.</p>