<p>I regret not doing cyber classes to get ahead of the curve in Freshman year (I took no Honors, there are only two offered ) :l</p>
<p>Any "Pro Tips" at all you wish you knew?
Could be social/grades/anything</p>
<p>Trust your instincts and look out for number one. </p>
<p>Schools offer clubs.</p>
<p>Type your papers as soon you are assigned them</p>
<p>Take chances. Make friends with more people. Don’t wait.</p>
<p>Start ECs early.
Apply to things even if you think you won’t get in. At the very least, you’ll learn from the process.
Don’t procrastinate if you can avoid it.
Don’t get addicted to Diet Coke.
Keep a notebook or a Word document filled with random essay ideas you think of.
Don’t be too shy, but don’t be afraid of being alone. </p>
<p>Write everything down - class notes, homework, things to do for the day - everything.
Don’t be held back because of shyness: everyone else probably feels as awkward as you do, and high school’s a good time to break out of your comfort zone anyway.
Have a little fun while your childhood lasts. Don’t make life all about studying hard and getting into HYPSMC.
Don’t care too much freshman year; save your energy for junior year, when things actually get tough.</p>
<p>Great list so far</p>
<p>Enjoy your first “serious” romance, but don’t let it overwhelm you.</p>
<p>Also understand that you might go through high school without anyone letting on that they like you, and that doesn’t mean no one will ever like you or that you’re defective or something. High school is just weird. </p>
<p>It’s much easier if you get As at the beginning of a semester than needing As at the end of a quarter. After all, the work is easier at the beginning of the semester, don’t mess up at the beginning. </p>
<p>Doing accurate work quickly is rewarded by having more quality leisure time. Don’t take two hours to do a one hour assignment. Integrate classwork, 2 for 1, write your English biography assignment on a mathematician - Archimedes. You’ll have greater insight on how formula’s are often built on existing work and complete an English assignment. Build on earlier work, a biography on Thucydides, Father of History, as a freshman becomes history report of the Peloponnesian war as a sophomore, which leads to a project on democracy as a junior and a niche special interest as an interview during college admissions as a senior. Find opportunities to build on earlier work. </p>
<p>Follow or create assignment rubrics, don’t leave grade points on the table. Create an exam rubric for each, discuss with teachers exactly what the exam will look like. You’ll learn the best questions to ask with experience asking questions. Do the extra credit when assigned, and never leave it till the last 3 weeks of the quarter. Learn the ropes to taking standardized test early, if you haven’t yet take a private SAT course as soon as possible. </p>
<p>Today schools often have grade tracking tools that allow you to micromanage your grade. Each homework, quiz, project, test has a grade value and a point value. The sum of the point values is what determines your overall semester grade. Know what they are and track and manage toward your goals year to date. Repeat, don’t leave points on the table. Own the process, my D does it on her phone.</p>
<p>@Sohoist I disagree with the private SAT course thing. Not everyone can afford it, they’re not worth the money you can do just as well with a five dollar book. </p>
<p>Don’t try so hard on an assignment that will be graded lightly. Save your time and energy for something else.</p>
<p>Procrastinating will slowly kill you, but you probably not going to stop. </p>
<p>@brm114341 regarding SAT course, I am more concerned about missing 10% of the points, a students high score, because a student weakness is the testing skill sets beyond the core knowledge requirements. Items such that later questions in the test section have a great degree of difficulty, value and help you manage toward your goals, identifying traps, time management, and methods of improving probability. After all the College Board designs the test, and populate the test with questions structured to filter students. If you own the process you can take advantage of the structure.</p>
<p>The issue of cost is often discussed, data outcomes demonstrate the affluent students advantages over to low income student when it comes to standardized testing. As I write, the nonprofit Khan Academy is rolling out a free college board prep class. A high school, in my neighborhood, has a $100 after school course, over one fourth the expense of Princeton Review who by the way offers a limited number of 25% discounts for qualified low income students at through our school guidance counselor. </p>
<p>@letmeseetheworld , rule of thumb is to never leave points on the table, especially easy points. A lightly graded assignments might only be 100 points out of 2500 points, but if your sum total is 1900/2500 points, and you are 100 points below a A/2000 for the semester then ouch. Many students have burned their class ranking or gpa because they have disregarded this rule of thumb. I don’t see much discussion of micro points within a class here on cc, but the new reporting tools given students by school districts clearly show the emphasis on achieving the points and not just a letter grade.</p>
<p>Back to the original list, lets add always email teachers for homework and quizzes missed while your absent, find your due date and complete your makeup work on time without missing a grade or grade reduction.</p>
<p>
I interpreted this more as, don’t put in effort beyond what is necessary to get all the points. </p>
<p>Learn to let things go. Sometimes you forget to do something, mess up, make mistakes. Do everything you can do to correct it, but sometimes, you just need to let it go and make sure it doesn’t happen again. </p>
<p>Keep moving forward. Don’t let the bad overwhelm you. A good quote to remember: If it’s in the past, leave it there. You’re not headed there anyways. </p>
<p>Throw it all in. Find your passions, and then do everything you can to pursue them. </p>
<p>Enjoy your time. High school can be a drag, but it has its moments. Savor them, and treasure those perfect moments. </p>
<p>Have your parents RESEARCH the college admissions process and what schools you are aiming for starting in 8th grade. DO NOT do it yourself until the summer of 10th grade! YOU WILL ONLY STRESS YOURSELF OUT! Instead, have your parents do it, so they can set you on the correct path toward your college. For example, if my parents had known about the USABO, I would’ve taken AP Biology earlier. Similarly, I would’ve doubled up on AP Physics courses had I known about the USAPhO earlier.</p>
<p>Raise your hand in class even if you’re not 100% sure of the answer. Ask questions even if they seem dumb. If you’re really insecure about your question, stay a few minutes after class to ask after your classmates have already left. </p>
<p>Find a healthy balance between studying and relaxing. If it’s midnight the night before a big test, sleeping will come in more handy than cramming multiple chapters of notes.</p>
<p>Make a lot of friends instead of getting caught in one clique. This took me a few years to figure out and I’m glad that I finally did.</p>
<p>Go for what you want</p>