<p>I am a 8th grader in PHX. Would like some general advice/some help on some of my classes.</p>
<p>My schedule looks like this next year:</p>
<p>H English 1-2
H Bio (I am taking a course similar to H concept. physics this year so thats fine)
AP Calc BC (I'm taking Precalc at my HS this year, so this class is justified and legit)
AP Euro Hist (I got second in the State geo bee last year and I have a pretty good knowledge of Industrial Rev. and on)
Mandarin 1-2 (Wished they had Arabic tho after the Egyptian protests... :D)
Intro Engineering/Design (I hear its a blowoff/I also love engineering)</p>
<p>I would love any questions. I really want to make sure I don't pull a typical overscheduling. </p>
<p>Any help for adapting to HS?</p>
<p>I want to make sure I keep my GPA high early so I can get into Stanford, my dream school. (Know its 7% acceptance rate, but hope is good.)</p>
<p>Don’t get sucked into the social scene. Maintain your grades. All A’s for Stanford. Study if you need to, as much as you need to, whenever you need to. Get involved in a few things you love, but not too many. The trick is to be REALLY involved with the two or three things you love. Try to do well on standardized tests. Take the SAT II right after you take the course that corresponds with the exam. Try to actually pass your AP tests. Don’t worry, there is no such thing as an impossible AP course or an exam. Try to do something worthwhile and character building every summer. </p>
<p>Most importantly, don’t forget to be a kid. Go out with friends. Go to school dances and football games. Go to the movies. Join some clubs just for fun (these are not for your resume, so don’t get too involved, just go along for the ride if it is your kind of thing). Do silly things. Spend time with your family. Read, and read a lot. Take vacations. Take the occasional course that isn’t made to impress Stanford but is just something you are truly interested in. Enjoy high school. It can be a really fun time.</p>
<p>Yes. SAT II are the subject tests. They aren’t too bad if you study for them (the best way is to take tests on courses you took all year, then take the test that may/june).</p>
<p>Be nice to everyone. If someone doesn’t seem like a nice person, try to understand that there’s probably something wrong in their life to make them that way. You don’t have to be friends with everyone, but don’t be quick to be rude or mean or make enemies. Be nice to the outcasts, too. You might become friends; or you might stop a potential suicidal school shooting. Don’t forget to be nice to people who seem well liked, either. Many are only liked superficially and need real friends.</p>
<p>Take classes seriously. You may not like it, but you have to play the game. Do homework when it’s required (maybe blow it off once or twice if it helps), study as much as you need to, don’t stress too much (or too little), and go into every test and presentation ready to succeed. Find good teachers, avoid bad ones. Do things that you love, not because it helps you get into college. If you do things for that reason, they’ll likely backfire. Don’t worry about SATs your first couple years, it’s your time away from that. You’ll have plenty of time for that from the end of sophomore year to senior year. Don’t make up your mind as to who you are or what you want or where you’ll go. Change yourself. Change others. Change the world. Have fun. Have a life. Have freedom. Be responsible, but not too responsible. Grades matter. So does life. Life matters more. Read when you can, and not just for classes. Be with your friends, but don’t do the very stupid things (some little stupid things are necessary). Finish work when you can, then leave it behind. It will be there when you come back for it. Try for a good college, but know that no school defines you as a human being. Take chances. Let go. Live well. No regrets.</p>
<p>Wow, some really great advice here. I’d add that you should try to make friends with some upperclassmen; if they’re nice they’ll give you good advice about what teachers to take, what clubs are stupid and which are worthwhile, etc. Teachers matter more than classes, so assuming you’re choosing between two classes of more or less equal rigor, go for the superior teacher even if you think you’re not that interested in the subject s/he teaches. This will sound superficial and crass, but learn how to suck-up to teachers to get good grades. Figure out what you’re passionate about and get REALLY involved in that. Once or twice a semester, if you feel you need to, take a mental health day. Catch up on homework, study for SATs, sleep-in, or just see a movie/chill-out. USE this site if you procrastinate: [Steve</a> Lambert SelfControl](<a href=“http://visitsteve.com/made/selfcontrol/]Steve”>http://visitsteve.com/made/selfcontrol/). Focus on studying and getting good grades, but give yourself time to enjoy HS and spend quality time with your family and friends. Focus on having a healthy body, not just academics. Eat right and exercise. Go to dances and prom, go to the movies, go shopping, learn to drive. Try to lead a balanced life. And you can be happy at places other than Stanford. It’s ok for it to be a sort of general goal to get into a top school, but if you make up your mind that Stanford is the one school at which you’d be happy, and you get rejected–or get a couple Bs, or don’t win that competition–you’ll be more devastated than you ought to be. Have some perspective, enjoy high school, and good luck!!!</p>
<p>Quomodo: thank you so much. I actually did win, went to nationals, was on national tv, got 7th in the nation that procrastination site is amazing thx</p>
<p>It’s nice to see another younger person on here!! Good luck, and have fun!! Maintain GOOD grades. Straight A’s if possible, and take the most rigorous course possible for you. Remember, you’re still a kid. Enjoy it while it lasts…</p>
<p>Sorry I stopped reading after I saw you were in 8th grade. Take all hard classes and do your work. and NEVER come back to this website before you get hooked like the rest of us!</p>
that procrastination site is amazing thx</p>