Freshman Summer
Although it seems early, starting to map out your short and long term goals for high school before your freshman year will give you a huge advantage for the coming years. It's too early to make concrete decisions but it's the perfect time to start thinking. Think about your goals for school, for standardized testing, for college, for extra-curricular activities, for scholarships, and think about what you your goals outside of the academic world. When school starts in the fall, you’ll be bombarded with opportunities to try out different clubs, sports, and activities, and the worst choice you can make is to allow yourself to be overwhelmed and reject them all. Be ready, if you know what to expect you'll be able to get ahead from the start.
Extra-curricular activities
Setting Life Goals
Course Selection
Make sure you’re taking the set of classes best for you. Many times, the best way to do this is to plan out the best schedule of courses for every year of high school. Make sure to sign up for challenging courses that interest you, but keep in mind that whether or not you like math or foreign languages, taking a Film Study elective instead is not a good idea if you are aiming for a top college. Talk to your counselor and parents and especially older students at your high school. Tell them your interests and your goals. For those aiming for the top colleges, in all honesty the best choice is to take a full schedule with challenging classes, and possibly an extra class from the very start. Keep in mind, however, that if you overestimate your capacity for schoolwork it could end up badly, so only do as much as you think you can handle. Scheduling is crucial. It not only determines what subject matter you learn in high school, but also is an extremely important factor for future APs and SAT Subject Tests, college applications, scholarships, and more.
Choosing Classes
Improve Yourself
If you are just entering high school, keep in mind that freshman year and especially the summer before it are probably the least busy times of your high school years to come. You’ll have to devote more of your time to things you have to do rather than things you want to do later on, so freshman year is a great time to improve yourself as a person-- physically, mentally, musically, etc. Becoming smarter, more athletic, and more skilled should be things you want to accomplish anyways, but they will also help you overcome challenges in and out of school as well as give you a better idea of your interests and future goals. Be sure to utilize this time of your life exploring yourself and trying new things, to find out what you really enjoy.
Self Improvement
This article was written by Xinquan (Paul) Gu
