Article # 2

Tips for High School Success

High school represents the foundation to a respectable future. It is crucial that an individual do his or her best to have four years of success. Success means different things to different people, but in my opinion, success can be defined as the achievement when you get the most out of your potential. If you have done your best, then there is no debating that you have succeeded.

When you first begin high school, it is recommended that you quickly figure out your strengths, whether it is academics, sports, or something else, and give most of your priority towards it. However, you should also realize that a well rounded individual looks just as, if not more, impressive than someone who is exceptional at something and sorely lacking at another.

This leads me to explain another point: the importance of learning how to prioritize your time. We have already discussed that people should do their best to be a ‘complete’ student. Well, that is going to take a lot of your time. I will be the first to tell you that you can get yourself caught in a huge mess if you are not able to manage your time well. Have a history test, an important soccer game, and a club meeting tomorrow? Such types of situations may seem daunting at first, but it can be accomplished with relative ease if you play all of your cards right. If you were to ask me what I would do in this particular situation, it’s quite simple. I would rank the tasks in order of importance and spend most of my time on what I believe is most important. In this case, I would study history first, call and schedule another time to make up for missing the club meeting, and finally pack my equipment and head out to soccer practice. You may have a different order of doing this, and is perfectly acceptable. All that matters is that you use your time efficiently, and get things done.

Now that I have explained most of the ways of how to go about the ways to excel in high school, let me specify what exactly you can excel in.

Academics: The best way to prove your intelligence is by getting good grades, while taking the most rigorous of courses that are available to you. Your academic accomplishments are shown by what is called a GPA (Grade Point Average). Most of the time, your class rank is based on a weighted GPA system. This basically means that it helps for you to take challenging classes, such as Honors classes, in comparison to a regular class. The benefits to these classes are that the grade that you receive carries more weight towards your GPA than does a regular class. For example, let’s say that you received a B in Chemistry Honors, yet you got an A in regular History. Both of these classes would provide you the same amount of points to your overall GPA, even though you clearly received a ‘worse’ grade in Chemistry. The downside is, as expected, that an Honors course is slightly more challenging than a regular course. I would definitely recommend for all students to take harder classes however, because it really isn’t all that difficult if you are dedicated. If you want to further your skills in a specific subject, or excelled in an honors (or regular) course that you thought was interesting, you can take AP or IB classes. Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses are the most advanced of classes that a school can offer, and are even more challenging than Honors classes. These courses provide tests during the later parts of your school year, which allow you to receive college credits if you receive a certain score. The score ranges from 1-5; a score of one means that you are not qualified, and therefore will not receive credit from colleges. A five on the other hand means that you are extremely well qualified, and are likely to receive credit for every college that accepts the test scores for the particular subject.

Sports: High schools also offer various sports in which you can participate in. There will undoubtedly be at least one that caters to a specific person. I highly encourage for everybody to play a sport at their respective high schools. Playing for your school team is easy; all that is required of you is to bring in a physical packet from your doctor, and undergo ‘try-outs’, where you prove to your coaches why you deserve to be on the team. The highest level of competition is on the varsity squad, where you receive [varsity] letters at the end of each season for your efforts. Most underclassmen usually start at the Junior Varsity level but gradually work to earn their respected spots on the Varsity teams.

Extracurricular/Volunteering: In addition to academics and sports, extracurricular activities are other places where an individual can shine. Participating in a lot of clubs, or better yet being a leader of a certain one, can really help you to be recognized as a valuable member to your school. The same goes for volunteering as well. Volunteering can earn you the respect of your community, while providing you with other benefits as well. Extracurricular activities and volunteering can help you with scholarships if you really manage to stand out among others. In addition, they also look really good for when you want to apply to that college you always wanted to go to, and can be a determining factor of your acceptance into the school.

In the end, it all comes down to your determination and expectations for yourself. If you are dedicated to succeed in high school and beyond, there is no limit to what you can do. Just do the best you can, and look to get the most out of your potential. That is when you know that you’ve succeeded.

- Divyash Chhetri

USA (Phoenix, Arizona)