The eNotes Blog Pro-Tips to Make the Most Out of Your High SchoolYears

Pro-Tips to Make the Most Out of Your High SchoolYears Back-to school is upon us and, for many students, entering/returning to high school can be an intimidating and overwhelming situation. But the reality is, its a place where we spend four vital years learning, making new friends, and finding ourself. As a high-school graduate in 2012, I have some fresh perspective  so you can make sure your high school years are nothing short of rewarding, stress-free, and memorable. Freshmen Keep your mind open and try new things. Its hereand youre probably freaking out.  You might be  entering  a new school  with at least 10x the amount of people than youre used to, and thats scary!  Initial thoughts might be I hardly know anyone, but see  this as an opportunity to befriend new people who might  become life-long friends. How? Join an extra curricular activity or sit at a new table for lunch once a week. Youll quickly find people with  similar interests and passions,  who enjoy the same activities that you do. And your classmates are  probably as nervous as you are, even if they put on a confident face. Taking the initiative to introduce yourself and learn more about your classmates will probably be met with relief and excitement.   If your school doesnt offer a club or activity that you think would be successful, start your own! In fact, colleges look for students who are willing to be involved and have a strong role in leadership. So you could chalk it up as a friend  and  resume builder. Sophomores All-nighters are unnecessary evils and if youre the first to get a car, you just became a chauffeur. Classes start getting more intense  this year, and its important to start honing good study practices. Youll quickly learn that working on assignments in advance or studying small bits at a time, rather than cramming it all in, is more beneficial for you (and your grades) in the long run. After experiencing  an all-nighter (which usually happens from poor planning), youll likely find yourself exhausted the next day and not retaining a lot of last nights cram session.  Reviewing (not cramming) your notes and flashcards the night and morning before  a test is a great way to keep  the high-level concepts fresh in your mind. Youre also at the age where your parents are probably tired of driving you around. You may think youll want to be the first to get a car (freedom!!), but youll quickly realize being a chauffeur isnt all that great. Getting a car means endless  texts of Do you want to go to_________?  (Translation:  Do you want to go to _________  and  drive us there?).  Its not the worst idea to hold off a few months on getting a car right away. Youll thank yourself later when the majority of your friends have their own, and you can be that aforementioned texter  (just maybe offer to chip in for gas every now and then). Juniors Senioritis is a real thing (its coming) and college rejections arent the end of the world. Youve heard everyone talk about senioritis, but youve yet to  experience it. Key word: yet. If youre unfamiliar, its  this horrible affliction  where you slump around with absolutely no motivation to do just about anything; you know how much  work you have to do and how much time you have  to do it, but the motivation escapes you.  Start to ward off bad habits now. Use a planner to keep yourself  organized and on task. Get in the habit of  doing a little bit of an assignment here and there so you dont find yourself easily overwhelmed. Practice realistic time-management and give yourself the proper time it takes to focus on your  assignments. Speaking of time management: college applications can be very demandingand once youve turned them in, its just as stressful waiting to hear back. Sometimes the news isnt always ideal or what we had in mind, and thats okay!  Have a back-up plan  and youll soon realize, as you progress through your career, that your hard work and experience will outweigh  your alma matter. In my anecdotal experience, you will find yourself loving your attended university a lot more than you thought you would.  As they saywhen one  door closes, another opens! Seniors Prom is definitely worth it and you only graduate from high school once. Believe it or not, prom does lives up to the hype, but the thought of asking someone (or getting asked) to prom can evoke a case of the butterflies. Its important to be confident  and, ladies, it is perfectly okay to be the one to ask someone to Prom (take it from me!). You dont need to wait around stressing yourself out for him/her to ask youjust do it yourself! After I finally got the courage to  ask my date to Prom, I was SO thankful I did. Not only did he say yes, but I was getting to go with who I really wanted to, and thats what makes prom night memorableenjoying your company. Graduation is the cherry on top of your high school experience.  Its an important milestone in your educational journey, and you made it. Now youre probably asking yourselfwhat comes next? Maybegaining more independence? Prepping for college? Starting a full-time job? Determining what happens after graduation can be overwhelming and stressful (just like it was entering high school), but the possibilities are endless. This is now your time to shape the life you desire. Youre gaining additional responsibilities and arriving into adulthood. But youve made it this farwhere will you go next?