<p>Hey there, I am still pretty new to the highschool life so I am not very experienced yet. I make this thread today so sophomore/junior/senior or anyone that had graduated to share their mistakes/bad choice/regrets/useful tips so us newbies can learn and not make the same mistakes. It can be anything from bad/useless classes, wrong study technique, exciting/useful classes that are not popular, etc...</p>
<p>I was distracted and didn’t study much, and as a result, my grades weren’t that great: a few As, a few Bs and a C or worse here and there. That was incredibly stupid of me; high school isn’t THAT hard unless you go to Stuyvesant or a boarding school or something. As a result, I have a decent but not great college on my resume, which has led to less career success than I’d otherwise have had.</p>
<p>I’m only a junior but I regret some things already. First of all, I didn’t try at all freshman year. As a result, my GPA was around a 3.5 and I’ve been struggling to bring it up. Also, try to start loading up on EC’s early on and find two or three things that you’re good at and stick with them. </p>
<p>Good
- Starting most of my essays early. I can’t usually write well unless I’m in the mood for it, so in tenth grade I started keeping a Word document of interesting sentences and ideas I thought of. It helped me a lot later on.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Taking standardized tests early. I took ACTs in seventh grade (for a talent search), tenth grade, and eleventh grade. I took SATs in ninth grade and eleventh grade. I usually get really bad test anxiety, but I wasn’t particularly nervous when I took my SATs and ACTs because I knew I’d have a chance to take them again if I didn’t do well. Practice tests are useful too, but they weren’t especially “accurate” in terms of predicting my scores. </p></li>
<li><p>Testing out of certain classes. I got credit for pre-calculus, calculus, and physics by taking the final exams without taking the classes, and I got credit for a required gym class by exercising on my own time and writing it down. This allowed me to get ahead in math and gave me more freedom in choosing my classes.</p></li>
<li><p>This won’t really apply to many people other than me, but I finished all my graduation requirements early and this year I’m taking all my classes at a semi-local university. I’ve been able to take philosophy classes and upper-level math classes, which obviously wouldn’t have been possible if I’d stayed at my high school. If you live in Ohio or Minnesota (and maybe some other states, I’m not sure…I’m from Ohio), you can take college classes for free at a lot of different colleges and universities in your state. My school has a policy that prohibits early graduation, so it wouldn’t have been a possibility for me anyway but IMO early graduation is almost never a good idea. It’s better to stay in high school and use the “extra” year to work on your resume so you’ll have a better chance at getting whatever college acceptances and scholarships you want.</p></li>
<li><p>Using the Internet to find out about college admissions rather than just asking the guidance counselors at my school. There’s a lot of misinformation out there (some of which I’m probably spreading in this post), so don’t take everything people tell you at face value.</p></li>
<li><p>Self-studying AP tests is fairly useless for admissions. (If your school offers some AP class, they’d rather you take the class and the test rather than just the test. If your school doesn’t offer some AP test, they can’t reasonably expect you to take the test and you’re better off working on your ECs.) It can, however, be useful for getting college credit and escaping distribution requirements (at some colleges—a lot of “elite” colleges don’t give credit for AP exams). </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Bad
- Not thinking enough about financial aid (this wasn’t really my fault because my parents weren’t willing to talk to me about it until right before the CSS Profile was due, but still). This is where your college search needs to start—talk to your parents about their financial situation and run net price calculators on college websites. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>Procrastinating all the time. </p></li>
<li><p>Not taking honors classes freshman year.</p></li>
<li><p>Not taking a foreign language class freshman year. I didn’t think it was necessary because my school doesn’t require anyone to take them, but colleges prefer that you have three or four years of it.</p></li>
<li><p>Getting 3s on two AP tests. A lot of colleges only give credit for 4s and 5s.</p></li>
<li><p>Getting a B in gym freshman year. There’s nothing terribly wrong with having a couple of Bs in general, but you shouldn’t slack off in any class even if it seems “useless.”</p></li>
<li><p>Not doing enough research on colleges because I was afraid of getting attached to a school and then getting rejected from it. </p></li>
<li><p>Not pursuing ECs or leadership positions because I’m shy, lazy, and fear rejection. ECs don’t matter very much to most colleges, so I still got into a lot of good schools, but my ECs were absolutely awful and that was the main reason I wouldn’t have been competitive at Ivy League schools (and similar). </p></li>
<li><p>Getting attached to certain colleges for the wrong reasons. Academic opportunities should come before pretty much everything else.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Other stuff
- College applications won’t ask you how many volunteer hours you have. </p>
<ol>
<li><p>School clubs aren’t the only kind of EC there is, and school club leadership positions aren’t the only kind of leadership there is.</p></li>
<li><p>Most significant scholarships come from colleges, not outside sources. Trying to find scholarships on Fastweb or other websites is probably a waste of time. </p></li>
<li><p>All high schools weight GPA differently. People are always coming on here and saying they have a “4.3 GPA” or something like that, but that number doesn’t mean anything without a scale. Colleges don’t care about your numerical weighted GPA, except insofar as it’s used for class rank. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Good Stuff
-deciding to drop AP Chemistry after remembering I did not enjoy Honors Chem and would not succeed in AP
-sticking with band (I wasn’t going to take it in high school, but my friend made me and it has been the most amazing time)
-sitting in the front whenever possible (it helps, trust me)
-coming to the realization that I should only take classes I enjoy/am interested in</p>
<p>Bad Stuff
-I became friends with a very negative girl freshman year and I think she kind of turned me against a couple of my teachers and because of that I didn’t try as hard in the classes
-procrastinating A TON (one A.M. papers are not fun)
-My uncle died and I missed four days of school my sophomore year. We had a DBQ in APUSH that I missed and I never finished it. My grade dropped A LOT and I ended up with a C in the class. :(</p>
<p>Good:
-Studied for SATs early
-Became more knowledgeable in the whole college process
Bad:
-Going to this school
-Let myself be forced into AP Chem
-not taking Precalc the whole year instead of AP calc for 1st semester (guarantees me crappy teachers for 2 years)
-not trying out for golf
-not having more fun young
and some other personal stuff</p>
<p>Good:
- Getting no type of B’s…
- Trying to take summer classes.
- Becoming more organized.
Bad: - Procrastinating with a non-rigorous schedule
- Dropping out of enriched english (regular english is where all “regular” kids swarm) due to a junior scaring the living daylights out of me
- Not taking spanish and instead taking a CTE, which puts me a year behind
- Taking chem instead of physics. Like I have an A right now, but I would have rather took AP physics
- Listening to counselor’s advice.
Bottom line is that other than knowing the school’s policies, counselor’s have no clue about college process.</p>
<p>Good:
-My grade went up in one class I used to struggle in this quarter :); it proves i can actually do adv bio
-All my extracurriculars
-Balancing everything from classes to projects tetc
Bad:
-Almost getting suspended due to being rash and impulsive both in sophomore year and freshman year
-Not doubling up on classes
-Not trying hard enough in a few classes </p>
<p>I’m a sophomore, but I can think of many things so far.</p>
<p>Good:
-I’m really glad that I entered a magnet program. My grades would have been an easy 4.0 if I was in the regular classes, but tbh I’m proud of myself for taking the challenge.
-I’m really glad I tried out for our speech team, I love it. Don’t be afraid to try out for anything! Worst thing that happens in that they say no.
-I made a great group of friends. They’re incredibly hardworking, smart, and fun to be around. If you’re worried about making friends, join clubs, etc because you’ll meet people with similar interests.
-I built strong relationships with my teachers.
-I utilized the available help: after school tutoring, meeting with teachers, etc. As you transition to high school, it’s incredibly helpful.</p>
<p>Bad:
-I was intimidated in a few of my really hard classes so I basically gave up on them, and I really regret that. I would have had a much stronger base for this year’s classes if I had tried harder.
-I procrastinated a lot. It’s so helpful to get a lot done over the weekends but I would always put stuff off until Sunday.
-I didn’t know how to study. I guess this was a good thing in the long run because it forced me to learn fast, but I had never had to study for a math test before and I had a few unproductive all nighters because of it.
-I didn’t prioritize sleep and relatively healthy eating, and I had a flu/awful cold for a week or two in the winter that totally sucked. I usually get at least 7 hours of sleep now and it’s way better.
-I didn’t have super high expectations. I probably could have gotten better grades freshman year, but I’m not too hard on myself about it. I got around a 3.75 all of freshman year which is fine but not ideal.</p>
<p>Just a word on study techniques: I’ve found that the best things for me are flash cards in classes like Spanish, history, bio and rewriting notes/doing problems in classes like math.</p>
<p>Good luck! High school has been a billion times better than middle school so far. I hope you enjoy it.</p>
<p>Good:
- I’m glad I did debate. It really taught me how to argue, persuade, manipulate evidence to support my points, speak well, etc.
- I started studying for the SAT vocabulary my sophomore year, which definitely helped later on.
- I’m really thankful for this site and its insight about college admissions and other high school things. There are many students who spread a lot of misinformation about getting accepted into top colleges and the like.
- I’m glad I joined cross country and track. Running is a lot of fun.</p>
<p>Bad:
- I transferred from my default high school with a strong AP program to a school that had the IB program. I’m not really going to get into it, but this is one of the worst decisions I ever made.
- I regret remaining in my school band so much. It required driving to our football field and marching on our icy field while it was still dark outside. Band literally ruined my freshman year. Make sure the activities you decide to become involved in are things you actually enjoy.
- I can’t say I regret procrastinating, since it never really had any detriments given that I always end up getting things done on time. But it’s always a good idea to not procrastinate.
- I regret not running for student body office.
- I skipped physics and went straight to chemistry. Little did I know, colleges like to see physics, chemistry, and biology. But I’m not going to worry about it, because I have a pretty rigorous schedule and everything…</p>
<p>Good: </p>
<p>-Taking challenging and enriching courses and working my butt off to do well in them.
-Sticking with my best friends from middle and elementary school.
-Joining my church choir.
-Volunteering frequently.
-Reading and writing frequently.
-Studying for my SATs and finding motivation to do well on them.
-Sticking with orchestra and music in general, really.
-Dating my ex-girlfriend from sophomore/first quarter of junior year. The relationship taught me a lot about myself, even though I broke up with her.
-Going to therapy and getting the help I needed mentally (honestly, if you have the money, every person should go to therapy. My life did a real 180). </p>
<p>Bad: </p>
<p>-Not paying enough attention in freshman Algebra II.
-Not realizing my true academic potential until the end of freshman year.
-Being mean to people who did not deserve it and alienating awesome people out of my life.
-Ignoring what little left of my family there is.
-Getting a job junior year-I hate every second of it and it contributed to a severe mental breakdown around December of this school year.
-Not being able to let go of the past.
-Not going to therapy sooner.
-Not telling the people in my life I love them enough. You never know when a person will be gone forever.
-Not doing team sports-I do track and XC, but I should’ve done a team sport, even if I sucked at it.
-Not cherishing the times I had-high school is SO short. I have one year left and I plan to make the most of it. </p>
<p>Good
- All A’s
- High SATs
- Stuck with marching band all four years
- Started writing club that has really grown; I’m incredibly proud of it
- Began dating my best guy friend this year (long overdue ^_^)
- Good scores on AP tests so far
- I just had an assignment in Macro to create a parody music video about banking; I wrote most of the lyrics myself and the video turned out really well. Greatest group project ever. </p>
<p>Bad
- Didn’t take APGP senior year
- SAT IIs not as high as they could have been
- Didn’t take PSAT sophomore year as well as junior year; probably could have made NMSF if I had scored a few points higher due to familiarity with the test
- Didn’t apply to enough schools (only 4, waitlisted at 2)
- Didn’t take the most rigorous courseload I could have because I was scared of AP Physics</p>
<p>@bodangles are we the same person? I’m in marching band, started a writing club, etc etc more similarities.</p>
<p><em>Good</em> (this is all ‘so far’-I’m only a sophomore)
-Finding a group of people that are very accepting
-Doing marching band, esp Pit percussion
-Really pushing myself for harder classes
-Pursuing opportunities on my own: this is the best one. I did things on my own with no prompting and whatever and these are some of the best decisions I’ve made so far. I’m getting involved in research, I started a writing club, I volunteer at a hospital, and I’m writing a novel. You just have to go look for things; they’re out there!
-Not doing drugs, drinking, partying, being slutty, etc. </p>
<p><em>Bad</em>
-Stressing unnecessarily over grades: yes, they are important, but they do not need to dominate your life. Getting an A- will not keep you out of Harvard.
-Listening to music and getting distracted while doing homework: I recently started doing stuff w/o music and whatnot and my grades have shot up a few points…
-Getting sick and getting kicked out of gym: okay, so I got really sick my freshman year and was removed from gym and now I’m taking freshmen gym as a sophomore and it sucks so much.</p>
<p>Moral of the story:
Be proactive
Don’t get too hung up on school, grades are important, but again, an A- will not keep you out of your top school.
Don’t be afraid to make new friends and try new things, just not drugs :P</p>
<p>The Bad:
- I didn’t take AP Human Geography seriously. I got a B the whole year and got a 3 on the AP exam.
- I didn’t take science fair seriously in Freshman year. My project was on “The Effect of Colored Lights on Plant Growth.” I didn’t even make any connection to light wavelengths or anything. And it’s sad, because I’m spending the rest of high school with getting to International Intel Fair as my primary goal.</p>
<p>The Good:
- At the end of freshman year, I started talking to a group of people that were really committed to their academics, and we started motivating each other through competition.
- I became the president of SECME!
- I signed up for five AP classes for next year. Although that may be a bad choice, I don’t know yet…</p>
<p>I’m only a junior, but here are some things:</p>
<p>BAD</p>
<p>Not being very involved freshman year (the only thing I really did was the spring musical)
Some of the classes I took (specifically, a music theory course sophomore year)
Not getting involved…wait, did I already say that? It’s basically the biggest regret I have…</p>
<p>GOOD</p>
<p>Learning to study for tests better
Becoming more of a leader (which involved being a more critical thinker)
Finding more activities to do, especially in my junior year</p>
Good Stuff
Gr8 grades & test scores
didn’t get arrested
Bad Stuff
Drinking
Texting while driving
Lack of great ECs
Dropping some classes I shouldn’t have dropped
Didnt really have make the most of my time here…pretty awful experience
The one bad thing I did a lot in high school was procrastinating. It didn’t affect my grades, but it definitely affected my health and stress a lot. I’ve been doing a lot better with getting things started early in college so far, and it feels so much better. I also regret not trying to get involved in research during the summers.
Another piece of advice, start your college apps and especially your college essays early, early, early.
I slacked off in freshman year and didn’t do anything. I didn’t join a lot of clubs, didn’t go to social events, didn’t try out new extracurriculars. I so regret it, looking back.
So far, anyway:
Good stuff:
Sticking with band and XC
Not taking on more than I could chew
Pursuing the extracurriculars that I love doing
Taking the Spanish subject test when I thought I’d fail (I didn’t!)
Talking to teachers when I needed help
Bad stuff:
Stressing about college way too early
Thinking that every little decision mattered
Comparing myself to others
I’m only a sophomore but freshman year I didn’t really care to complete assignments and you can see the consequences of that decision in my grades for that year.
Criminal Justice Operations 1 (A) (A)
Introduction to Information Technology (A) (A)
English Honors 2 (B) ©
Spanish 3 Honors (D) (B)
Geometry Honors (D)
Creating 3-D Art (A)
Creating 2-D Art (B)
Biology 1 Honors (A)
(I’m mainly talking about English, Spanish, and Geometry. I slacked off in 2-D art (C’s) and Bio (B’s) as well but the EOC’s for those classes saved me from a lower grade)