Maximize Freshman Year

Welcome to the wild adventure - high school! Make sure you have the coolest strategies to make the most of your 9th grade year. You may have started this year focusing on building your squad of friends, getting used to crowded halls, and finding your classes. Now it is time to focus on how to set yourself up to maximize the high school experience and rock out academically.

Connect With School: whether you are into school or not...joining clubs, athletics, performance arts, and getting involved can help you to enjoy school and create a sense of purpose. Get to know your teachers and help them learn more about you.
Build Skills: now is the time to build critical skills you will use in your future. Learn how to maximize studying, note-taking and skills important for a future career like time management. You can also focus on skills that are relevant to "in-demand careers" and skills that are extremely valuable in today's world. Think coding, SEO / search engine optimization, and cybersecurity.
Learn About Yourself: And everything that makes you...YOU! Identifying your values and preferences for the workplace can help inform your career-related research. You also want to think about your interests, skills and abilities to ensure that your future path is a good match and that you will be satisfied long-term.
Challenge Yourself Academically: colleges want to see that you are enrolled in the highest level course work possible for your academic ability. Look for challenges that are challenging but manageable. Rather than loading up on every AP course your school offers, make sure you focus on taking high level courses within your interests and future discipline. Do not feel pressure to take courses that are above your ability as it will do more harm than good to have poor academic performance in a more difficult class.
Ask for Help: I get it, it's not always easy and you feel like you've got this handled. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it, practice advocating for your needs and getting answers to your questions. This is also great practice for college where you will need to attend your professor's office hours to get assistance. Asking for help doesn't mean you are not independent, it means you are more independent and can advocate for what you need!