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Remember friends, I am no professional when it comes to giving advice and these are just some of the things I would tell sophomores in high school if they were looking for advice! I will have a junior and senior advice post too at some point but these posts take a while to complete so look for those in the future.
(1) Don't take the easy way out:
School would be easier if you took the easy classes however, challenging yourself is good practice for the year to come as well as your college resume. If you can handle the AP and Honors/Advanced classes then take those courses. Our college counselor, who is amazing, always tells students to take these courses because it looks better to colleges if you have an A in an AP rather than an A in a college prep course. She is trying to be clever when she says that because an A isn't attainable for everyone but colleges do look at your course rigor. Course difficulty looks good so work hard and try to sprinkle in some of those advanced classes.
(2) Get your sleep:
Your course load may be a bit harder but sophomore year is a great year to get rest! This sounds silly but it is super important to start to build good sleep habits when you can! Don't procrastinate because then you will be going to sleep even later. I know I always want more sleep so set a time each night when you turn off your computer, TV, etc and do your very best to get to bed at that time. This will cause you to get things done quicker with hopes of getting to bed at that time.
(3) Have school spirit:
Who doesn't love dressing up and getting into theme nights! I don't know how it works at all schools but we often have themes for peprallys, football games, and basketball games and it makes it more fun when people get involved and get into it! Spirit week/ Homecoming week is another time when it is fun to show your school spirit by dressing up. The more people who dress up the more fun it becomes.
(4) Continue your involvement:
During freshman year you probably began to realize what clubs and extracurricular you really liked. Sophomore year is a great time to decide which activities you would like to continue participating in. By deciding which are worth your time hopefully you will be willing to continue your involvement throughout your time in high school.
(5) Take on leadership roles:
Along the same line as continued involvement, it is great to take leadership roles in activities you enjoy. Becoming secretary of student government or historian of your key club is a great way to truly show your interest. By beginning to look into leadership roles sophomore year, you will be able to start off with a less demanding position and work your way towards vice president or even president if you please!
(6) Summer activities:
Participating in summer activities is a great way to clarify what you may want to do later on in life. In my area, we have great programs that allow high school students to have hands on experience with different professions. Be sure to look into these different programs and consider applying to take part in these programs!
(7) Research colleges:
It is never to early to start researching colleges and sophomore year is a great time to begin since you have no pressure to make a decision! My favorite place to look into different aspects and characteristics of colleges is on College Prowler. On that site you are shown a grade A+ through F on different aspects of the school based on student reviews!
(8) Learn how to take notes:
While I wish there was a clear cut formula on how to take notes, this is really something you have to practice with in order to perfect it. Many of the details in taking notes deal with personal preferences causing you to have to discover what works best for you! By discovering your best note style sophomore year, you will be much better off junior year!
I hope you find these tips useful! I will have junior and senior tips up later on but these posts take quite a while to do so it may be a few weeks!
dWa
And you should click
here to vote for me in the Lilly contest, I would love you forever!
