How You Can Make the Most of Being in High School

Welcome back everyone!

I’ve been thinking a lot about my high school experience thus far, as I often do, and I’m always asking myself one question. How can I make the most of my situation right now? We all have to go through high school (unfortunately), so we might as well make the most of it, right? I’m lucky enough to go to a good public school that is also fairly large, so there’s lots of opportunities available to high school students in my community. Even if that’s not your situation, here’s how you can make the most of what’s available to you!

Do well/do your best academically – I know this is kind of an obvious thing, but a lot of people don’t think that freshman year matters, or don’t consider their future right away. Make sure to try your best all four years and take classes that challenge you. It will give you so many more/much better options when applying to colleges among other things in your future.
Find out all of the extracurriculars offered, and get involved in ones you’re interested in – There are so many options at most schools! Sports, a variety of clubs, band, choir, academic teams like mock trial and academic decathlon, peer tutoring/volunteer opportunities, career education classes, journalism like the school paper or yearbook, among various others are the main things you can get involved in, but it depends on your school. If you’ve been participating in an activity since you were young continue it, but I would still recommend trying new things.
Talk to people! – Find people with similar interests to you, talk to people in your classes, be open to making new friends, you get the drill. The people around you can really make or break your experience in any situation, so make an effort to find the right friends for you.
Foster relationships with your teachers and counselors – These people are there to help you, and you’ll find a lot of them are really amazing people once you get to know them. I’m a shy person and I’m easily intimidated when talking to adults, but I’ve learned that reaching out to your teachers and counselors is the best thing you can do. They’ll like you more, and you’ll feel way more comfortable knowing they’re here to support you.
Utilize college planning tools – Most schools have some form of college and career center, and often colleges will visit/there will be a college fair or multiple throughout the year. Utilize these connections if you know a school you’re interested in is coming to visit, and log into websites like Naviance once in a while.
Go to dances and sports games – You only get so many homecoming football games or dances in your life, so go while you can! If these functions aren’t fun at your school and you/your friends would prefer doing something different, definitely do that instead- I know school spirit isn’t for everyone. However, I think everyone should at least try it.
If they don’t offer an activity/class you want, advocate for it/try to start it – Leadership is a great skill to develop before becoming an adult, since you’ll need to advocate for yourself all the time. If you want an activity or class at your school, tell your counselor and other admin members. If you end up pulling it off, it will be a huge victory for you, and a great thing to put on college applications.
Take advantage of elective classes – At my school, band/choir, journalism/yearbook, and student government are all considered electives. There’s also computer science, digital media, graphics, and a lot of tech classes. There’s even a few random electives like comparative religion and contemporary world issues! If there’s something you’re interested in as an elective, don’t be afraid to take it in place of a more boring, academic class. It will be more fun and you never know where it might take you.
Don’t be afraid to try new things, and don’t be afraid to quit/drop things you don’t like – This is another obvious one, but it’s so important. It’s never too late to join something (I’ve joined a ton of activities this year as a sophomore), and it’s never too late to get out of something you don’t want to do anymore. Just do whatever you’re interested in and see where it takes you.

High school is difficult, but doing these things and utilizing the tools available to you can make it a lot easier. Understanding that it will be tough and some things may not work out how you would like is the first step to making the best out of your experience. Your attitude can make all the difference, so get out there and go conquer high school!

-Brooke