<p>Hi, for starters I am now becoming a junior and with SAT tutor and bunch of other extracurricular I have to do in summer, I am feeling quite overwhelmed. I have to go to Elite(SAT Tutor) every morning and finish the homework they assign, practice basketball, work out in the gym, practice guitar, study for FBLA, and serve community service every Saturday. As you can see, I have a lot of tasks to do in such a short amount of time. I know this is all possible to do, but it is absolutely tiring to do this everyday. I know many of you who are successful in college had done this in your high school life, but how? What are some tips I can receive to make this work load easier? How did your schedule look like? And lastly, why did you choose to be in major you're in right now? </p>
<p>What counts as prestigious?</p>
<p>Sorry for not clarifying. Colleges like: UCLA, UC Berkeley, any of the Ivy League school
Basically what I’m looking for is someone who worked extremely hard in high school and is willing to share me some tips on how to use time more efficiently and effectively.</p>
<p>I know people that got into Berkeley with a 3.5 weighted GPA.</p>
<p>I kept a pretty rigorous schedule throughout high school, working 35 hours a week, taking all AP classes, I was senior class president, etc. and I can honestly say the easiest way to manage it all is to study efficiently, and manage in breaks. Time management and keeping all of the dates and amounts of time straight are what matters most. I worked out every day of the week on top of my previously mentioned activities, and I managed to still sleep eight hours a night, while also taking effective breaks. Maybe schedule in a few hours one day where you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. So maybe Tuesday or Sunday for three hours becomes “only practice guitar and veg out in front of the TV” time. Breaks are just as important as working hard, even if it’s only for a few hours. </p>
<p>DrYumYum you are asking in the HS forum with just HS student posting. Try college life maybe?</p>
<p>I think my kid was just able to do such a brutal schedule because of being in boarding school so you don’t have the distractions of home life and friends outside your dorm. They cannot go off campus for jobs or even regular community service. So everything is right there and everyone has mandatory after school activities/sport at the same time and everyone is studying at the same time, every night for 7 till 1 for upper class and on weekends too but on your own schedule as necessary. So I know that doesn’t help much except to say to be on a strict schedule during the week. One thing she didn’t do was unnecessary thing like SAT prep because she is a naturally good test taker. She just did a couple practice exam the week before. Her friends that did do SAT prep did not increase their scores.</p>
<p>@ClassOf2015HS Well the average unweighted gpa is 3.89 and the average weighted gpa is 4.39 on the UC scale, not your average inflated high school scale. What’s your point?</p>
<p>@dsi411 My point is college admissions is an exhaustive process. The admissions counselors probably don’t spend much time looking over a single application. They got a 3.5 UC GPA. They enjoyed high school and did extracurriculars they enjoyed. Do extracurriculars you do not detest. High School is four years. If you stress about getting into college, you might go the same for graduate school admissions. Prestigious colleges judge YOU based on your context and your circumstances. So, the advice is to do your best with regards to your circumstances. Don’t worry too much about it. Where one goes for college does not matter as much as it is often perceived. </p>
<p>SAT Scores are designed more to set standards for applicants.</p>
<p>In terms of being efficient, I advise working in a quiet place that is computer free. It helps a ton in terms of time management. Also, tell your parents about major projects and tests. They might get on your nerve and force you to work. </p>
<p>Sometimes, it is about working SMARTER not working harder. For example if your teacher utilizes multiple choice tests for history, it is best to re-read the assigned chapters. </p>
<p>I checked out the website suggested above (exam time). Do not use that for the SATs. Its horrible for that use. There’s very little information and the info they do have is inaccurate. Sorry ninja, I hope its a lot better for time management.</p>
<p>ninja - I went through the math regarding your schedule and it seems quite amazing. If you start with the 168 hours per week, subtract 56 for sleeping 8 hours per night, 35 for school, 14 for eating, 7 for hygiene, 35 for work, 7 for workouts, 3 for doing what you want - - - you’re left with 11 hours a week to study for a full AP schedule, do your ECs (you mentioned you were class president), talk to your friends and family and other activities that make up your life. Wow!!!</p>