You want to go to college?
You’ve made it to the top and now you’re a senior in high school. Have you taken the SAT yet or are you getting ready for them? Are you ready to apply to colleges? Do you know what you want to be when you grow up? Have you thought about what you want to study after you graduate? Stress comes in waves when you’re preparing yourself for life after high school ~~especially if it involves getting ready for the SAT and college applications.
You knew your grades started really counting when you entered 9th grade, right? The stress this puts on a high school freshman depends on how they see their future and if college is something they want for themselves. If your goal is to go to a good college then there are a few things you might want to think about before you even begin the search for the college of your dreams, much less start the application process.
Getting and keeping a high G.P.A
Yes, colleges do look at your G.P.A as part of the whole picture of who you are when you apply for admission. Having a high G.P.A. often sets you apart and gives you a better chance at entering your preferred college.
Hopefully you have developed excellent study habits during your 11 years of schooling and you have gotten good grades. Teenage life often pulls you in so many different directions that you might not be sure what to stress about first. First, there’s trying to fit in with your peers, which includes what to wear to school and who to hang out with. Then there’s the new-found freedom of having a license and being able to go anywhere you want as well as extracurricular activities, just to mention a few. If you’re one of the many teens that hold down a job as well as going to school, then you know the time crunch this can cause in your life. Sometimes studying can get lost in the shuffle. And of course, there is the BIG STRESS coming at you. It’s called THE FUTURE. Your future.
So how do you get and maintain a high GPA, while still maintaining your sanity?
Try to make time during each day for studying, physical activity, social interaction and some introspection. Keep your eye on the prize, which is entrance into the college of your choice. This means getting your homework done and keeping your grades high. But that’s not all it means, after all, college admission boards do look at things other than your G.P.A.
While it’s important to have a high Grade Point Average, it’s also crucial for you to be a well rounded person. This means not sacrificing your emotional, social and physical growth in pursuit of The Holy 4.0. But how do you balance all the things that are vying for your attention and your time? After all, there are still only twenty-four hours in a day.
