<p>Hey, I used to post here as either sooners.brian or sooners_brian, but I forgot my name and password.</p>
<p>Anyways, I graduated on the 20th and wanted to share some stuff I learned with those still in high school. Hope it helps. By the way I'm going to the University of Oklahoma this fall. </p>
<p>PREPARE FOR THE SAT/ACT/<em>PSAT</em>--I was not a very hard worker in high school, but I did bust my ass for these 3 tests. With that hard work and some prayer, I became a national merit scholar, aka, full ride to tons of state schools. I found out that the difference between a 214 and 215 on the PSAT was enormous, compared to the difference between, say, a 109 and 110 in a weighted class. (and therefore devoted my time accordingly to what I thought was important)</p>
<p>HAVE A HOBBY---don't let school become your life. For me, guitar and music took up much more time than school did. Because of this, I have a lifelong hobby that I am going to study further in college. I also have had the opportunity to play in my church's band, in front of 4-5 thousand people a weekend.</p>
<p>DON'T BE A SQUARE-FILLER---while lots of kids at my school joined SADD, student council, muse machine, knitting club, etc. etc. etc., I tutored kids in the Dayton juvenile detention system. True, I didn't make it into National Honor Society, ("not enough clubs"), but I learned about a different side of life, and got to know several great kids. meaningful service > square filling.</p>
<p>ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR STRENGTHS/WEAKNESSES---I am much better at math and hard sciences than I am at English or other subjective subjects. So, I didn't worry about math or sciences when it came to studying, and instead I devoted my time to english/government etc. this way, I was able to minimize homework (rarely over 30 mins/night) while still keeping up my grades.</p>
<p>DON'T LET SCHOOL BECOME YOUR LIFE---can't say it enough. while it is important to get good grades and do well on tests, make time to have fun, pursue hobbies, etc.</p>
<p>DON'T DRINK---junior year I drank a fair amount, and it was just stupid. waaay too much worrying and trouble over something that's just not even worth it. same with pot.</p>
<p>DON'T HAVE A JOB IF YOU CAN HELP IT---I worked hard during the summer so I wouldn't have to work during the schoolyear (except for one semester), and trust me this is the way to go. You don't want to have to work 3-8 on the day before a huge test or paper is due. </p>
<p>AVOID NEGATIVE PEOPLE---while that might seem obvious, it's important. Especially this year, I distanced myself from a few people that, while I considered them 'friends', were pessimistic, apathetic, etc. (I'm not trying to be mean.) seriously, being around those types of people does you no good whatsoever.</p>
<p>BE YOURSELF---while my high school didn't really have a 'cool crowd', it was there, especially freshman and sophomore years. Now, I am seeing all the 'cool' kids graduating to go on to community college, no college, or not graduating. I'm not telling you to become a loner, just to realize that people will respect you if you walk to your own drum beat. (Though it might take time.)</p>
<p>Well, that's all for now. I really hope that helps; I just tried to write down what I wish I had heard coming into high school.</p>