I remember the times that summer was just me staying home, relaxing all day, and doing some chores. I had no thoughts of doing anything productive. Summer was only for having some fun. However, I now realize that I could have been doing some pretty useful activities. As I used all my time only relaxing, there were other students gaining valuable skills and experiences that helped them gain great opportunities. Although I basically had stress free summers, I look back to those times as big mistakes. Another problem with my lifestyle back in high school was my planning for the future. I was one of those students who did great academically but had no idea on what I should be doing after high school. I had no strong interests or career goals. Other students had plans, big and small, so they looked into colleges that would work with their plans. They took classes in high school knowing that they needed them for those goals. All I knew was that math and science were my favorite subjects and that college was something many high school students went to after graduating.
Tragic huh? I didn’t understand important aspects of growing in a career. I only had an academic mindset, thinking that classes were the only important focus. I’ve completed two years of college and will be starting my junior year for the 2018-2019 school year, so I’ve had the chance to understand my mistakes. Now, I have a few tips that I would give a new senior in high school:
- Deeply think about what career path you’re interested in
There’s one more year of high school, so it’s the last chance to prepare yourself if you plan to go college straight out. The earlier you gather your ideas on your interests, the easier it will become to make decisive decisions in the upcoming years. You’re going to have to choose a major. I won’t say it’s terrible to be “Undecided” during your freshman year, but I will say there’s the possibility of falling behind. Every major has a set of major classes that must be done. Many of these courses have prerequisites, so there’s a great benefit to knowing what you want to major in before starting your freshman year in college. That way you can take the prerequisites early on, putting you on-time for your major.
- Take classes that are beneficial for your possible career path
Once you have an idea for what you possibly want to do in your future, you can take the classes that are greatly recommended for the major. For example, if you’d like to become a Software Engineer, it’s recommended to major in Computer Science or Software Engineering. A good way to prepare for this major is to take a programming class in high school (if available of course). If not, make sure to take many math classes, Calculus if possible.
The only thing I knew about my possible career path was that I liked math and science. I looked into possible career paths and thought that majoring in Physics or Engineering would sit well for me. So I made up for my lack of specific goals by taking advanced classes in high school. My schedule for my last year of high school included AP Calculus, AP Biology, AP English Literature, and Physics. Taking these classes allowed me to begin taking my major classes from my freshman year.
- Gain beneficial skills and experiences
Your skills and experiences are like certifications that build upon your personal brand. There are many students that believe that grades are the only important factor in being a student. That’s not the case. Your skills are valuable assets that can open doors to future opportunities. Your experiences do the same. For example, some high schools have a robotics club. If robotics was an interest of mine and I participated in that club, I would gain experience in handling, building, and optimizing robots. That experience is likely to give me skills in circuitry and programming. Experience and skills set students aside from others who only have their GPA to show off. When it comes to being accepted for research and internships in college, skills and experience make you look more like a valuable part to the team.
- Apply for colleges early
This would seem to be an obvious one, but from my own experience, it isn’t for everyone. I did not see a reason to start my college search early on. Because of that, I did not get the chance to apply for many high ranking schools. In fact, I only applied for three! I’ll definitely give the specifics another time, but because I procrastinated in my college search, I lost the opportunity to even try to go to various schools. Don’t let this happen to you, because it’s basically forfeiting possibilities of your future. Failing here reduces your chances for opportunities, basically canceling out the rest of my tips!
- Look into scholarships
This is essential for your long-term future… Debt should be feared. Seriously. Student loan interest rates have only been increasing. Apply for every scholarship possible! I purposefully chose Lincoln University because of the scholarship that they offered me. I decided that it would be better for me to not go into deep debt. Not because I feared not getting a job that could cover it, but because I believed I would still gain a decent education without the crazy debt. If I am capable of receiving a good education without crazy debt, then why would I decide to go somewhere else just to show off that I came from a prestigious school?
If you haven’t done so already, really begin working on what I’ve listed above. The present is tangible and always around you, but it is important to pay attention to the future. Opportunities can fly away anytime. It’s great to do well in school, but if you’re not taking any action for your future, all your hard work will wash away. Thank you for reading the blog! Give me some feedback and comment down below. Consider joining the mailing list to get notified on new blog posts and major updates to the site. And make sure to check out the YouTube channel!
Here’s the link to the video I made on this topic: 5 Tips for a High School Senior