THINGS I WISH I KNEW BEFORE HIGH SCHOOL

It's been a little while since I graduated high school, it's coming up to two years now. Overall, I like my high school experience. Little to no drama, the academics weren't too stressful, there were good people around me. But as much as I liked my four years of high school, there are some things that I've realized now that I wish I had known before.

Join as many things as possible: I'm not saying you should spread yourself too thin but if there's an organization or after school thing you're interested in, you should join. You get to meet new people and have something to focus on aside from school work. This goes for things outside of school. If you like animals, volunteer at an animal shelter. If you like books, see if your local library has events or is looking for volunteers. Volunteering is a great way to do things you like and it looks good for college applications, just saying.

Develop good study habits: This might seem like a duh one but let's be real. Most of us just breezed through high school, did things last minute and still managed to get good grades. But that's not going to work in college. Developing good study habits during high school will make university life so much easier for you.

Talk to your counselors: Counselors are there to help. If you have any questions about college and your credits, they're the ones you go to. You should check in with them at least one every semester just to make sure you're not missing any classes you need to graduate. My counselor was super helpful the few things that I actually went to meet with her and now I wish I had stopped by her office more. Especially during junior and senior year when everything involving college was so confusing and scary.

Do any extra credit available/attend extra tutoring: More points never hurt anyone. And showing up for tutoring tells your teachers that you're eager to learn and they might be more willing to bump up your grade if they know that you're trying your best.

iscelle robee