Sat Test

Have you started your back to school shopping yet? Have you started your SCHOOL shopping yet? Yes, I meant to write that. School shopping. Shopping for a school. This means to go out and look at what’s out there and what you want in a university or college. If you haven’t done so, you might want to think about doing it as soon as possible. Shopping for a school is an exciting and lengthy process. Perhaps you already know what college you want to attend after high school. Maybe your mother and father met and fell in love at Harvard and they want you to go to their old alma mater. Perhaps they went to rival schools and now you’re torn between Harvard and Yale.

Whatever your choices, and there are many, you need to do what is right for you. You will be the one walking the campus, taking the courses, going to the football games and living in the dorms. Ok, maybe you won’t be living in the dorms, that’s entirely up to you and your financial situation. You need to find the right fit for you and for your career goals.

If you are fairly certain about which career path you want to take, then you need to make sure that the school you choose offer that degree. Some schools have more cachet than others, some very pricey and others not so much. If you want to live at home while you go to school in order to save money, then that is a consideration as well. Perhaps living at home is the last thing on earth you want to do and you’ve decided to move to the other side of the country for your higher education. That’s fine, as I said before it’s all a matter of personal choice. You are the one that’s going to be living with the choice of school and living arrangements. Make sure this is what you want and not something you’re simply doing to appease your parents. You are going to spending at least four years at this institution of higher learning, so make certain it’s a good fit for you.

Naturally you have transfer options if your first choice turns out to not be what you thought it was going to be. It’s a good idea to fully check out all your options, including physically visiting the university of your choice before you apply so you can see how it feels and look into all the nooks and crannies there. Walk the campus, ask the other students questions and learn as much as you can about the school. Go to the surrounding area and see what’s there. How does it feel to you?

Take the campus tour, either led by a student or take the virtual tour online, but do take a tour. It’s a good idea to make up a list of questions you want to ask before you go so you won’t forget anything. See? Even with campus touring, preparation is everything!

There are some experiences in life that will always stand out for everyone and high school is one of those adventures. Some kids are very popular in high school and some seem to be able to disappear from sight. Captains of the football team, cheerleaders and class presidents may seem to always be in control, to have it all and never suffer a moment of angst or break out in pimples at the wrong moment. You may feel that it’s just the opposite for you; a cute guy walks by and you can’t even croak out the word ‘hi’, much less smile at him because you’re so shy. Your face breaks out on the very day you have to get up and deliver a paper in your history class and you can’t even remember the combination to your locker. Life is tough and everyone seems to be having an easier time of it than you.

I have some news for you; it’s not true. Everyone suffers from feeling inadequate or feels that people are looking at them all the time. Some of the most beautiful girls in high school feel like they have no friends, and hate their bodies and faces. That tall forward on the varsity basketball team that always seems to be surrounded by beautiful people secretly thinks he’s not all that good at things anyway and is afraid to ask a girl on a date.

What I’m trying to get across to you is that we’re all human and we all go through experiences that are difficult on us. Life is a learning experience and challenges are a way of testing us and making us stronger. We learn from our experiences and we also learn from our mistakes. When you’re in high school, some mistakes can be more devastating than others. High school and being a teenager in general can make things seem like they are at ‘end of the world’ status, when in fact it is simply a bump in the road and once you’re past it you’ll be fine. It’s not easy to feel that way of course when things appear to be closing in on you, but it’s true. Learn to take a deep breath and take a step back from intense emotional situations. Once you have some perspective on things, perhaps it’s not as bad as you first thought. You’ll be surprised at how you feel when you look back on things later in life and realize that it wasn’t that bad to begin with and look how you survived it!

There’s a saying that goes, ‘it’s always darkest right before it goes pitch black’, but that’s not entirely true. I prefer the following little adage; it’s always darkest before the storm’. You know how things feel after a storm? The air is cleaner, purer and sweeter. Things are wonderful and you appreciate it all the more for having weathered the tempest. Hang in there. You’ll be fine.