How did you get past your last year of high school and get ready for college?

kimchi-tan

Your local Mikotard
Global Mod
Defender of Defoko
I'm starting my last year of high school soon (I'm on audit classes right now and am going to a review center soon) and am struggling with handling lessons and assessments.

Any tips/advice to give to a kouhai?
 

Damien

Wannabe Worker
Retired User
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Well shit I can't help, I'm starting my first year of high school soon
 
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PrinceofHades

A wandering soul
Defender of Defoko
Just stay strong. Do your best to keep up with assignments as they come. Schedules are your friend, not your enemy. With that schedule, you want to schedule both study AND free time so that you don't stress too much.
Sincerely,
someone who just finished his freshman year at college
 
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VocAddict

The Voice Within Us
Defender of Defoko
Well, secondary school here is equivalent to high school, and the current diploma I'm doing can pass for college so I can shed some insight I guess. I don't know how useful these may be so... most of these are stuff that I didn't heed when I was still in secondary school lol.
  • Use a planner - This honestly didn't work for me (I'm such a procrastinator) but planning your daily schedule allows you to have time for school and time to relax. And relaxation time is important.
  • Don't stress yourself out - If you feel that that things are getting to difficult for you, take a break. Seriously, your brain doesn't learn all that well under extreme stress (believe me). Sleep is important too!
  • Have fun - Integrating ways into how you do your work may help you enjoy it more, and make the time for it pass easier. Or maybe set rewards for yourself when you accomplish something. Like, when I had a great hatred for Spanish, I used to treat myself to tuning a song whenever I could finish an assignment (it was quite harsh, but it worked lol).
Um, so, that's a few tips. Sorry if they're not useful or anything orz
 
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heta-tan

Genderless Goon
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Supporter
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Hello, I am just finishing my first year of college as well (even though I'm technically speaking already a sophomore). I also suggest making a schedule. Put it on your phone and have it set to remind you of things. Try to get things done as early as you can, but also remember that you need to take a break when you get home (I usually do 30-minute breaks when I get home and still do that after lectures)

Second of all is to not be afraid to ask your teachers or someone for help if you need it. If you're having problems with certain lessons, either go talk to you teacher in person or send them an email. They are there to help you. Professors and TA's in college usually are supposed to have office hours where they want you to come in, so get into that habit early if you can/want to.

Third, allow your time to destress. If you're getting a lot of work done, treat yourself some way. Watch an episode of anime or something.

Don't be afraid to ask for help and make sure you try and keep a good work ethic that allows you maintain stress levels that aren't too overwhelming. Talk to teachers, parents, other adults if you need help :smile:
 

Kitcat190

Defoko's Slaves
Defender of Defoko
Heyo o u o 9 As someone who did horrible in high school but great in college I can try and give you some tips. I do believe we are in different countries but many situations are the same!

For high school:
~ My last year was the easiest, junior year is typically harder while senior is easier because they're less classes/ less damanding classes. So try not to stress too much about it being too hard (or brush it off as being too easy)
~ If you're behind in lessons or can't understand the material, try looking it up. I've seen youtube videos teach better than the actual teachers
~ I don't know if it's the same where you are, but at my school we were constantly reminded college would be the hardest, no one's going to hold your hand, strict rules...blahh. But high school was worse because of all the rules and restrictions. Not to mention teachers didn't always help but instead say "Why don't you get this? I went over it in class" So my tip to you is to try and relax, because what you're experiencing now may not be what is to come

For college:
~ Try and make some kind of plan, or plans. It's always good to have an idea of what you're getting into. Try different plans for different schools, it's actually kinda fun
~ Don't be afraid to go to public/community colleges. I know in the US people want to go straight for 4 year colleges with 30k+ tuition. But truth is, if you go to a two year school, you'll be paying for the same basic 101 and 102 courses you would at a 4 year school, but for a lot less. Not to mention if you get a degree and then move onto a 4 year college, you'll already have credentials, and only have to spend two years at the 4 year college. Same applies for art and media schools. Basic classes are basic classes. Especially if you don't know exactly what you want, you can experiment more for a lot less
~ Use Slugbooks (?) to find textbooks. Type in the book your professor wants/ what you need - And it will pull up the book from different sites so you can compare prices and get the cheapest deal. It's also best to rent books, most places give you a free return label. And all you have to do is not kill the book

These tips apply to both:
~ Keep on top of your stuff for the first month. If you can manage that, you will be a lot better off for the rest of the year. Meaning, do your work, study, and keep yourself vigilant.
~ Try skype calling friends with "work calls". Me and Nikki do it a lot (kinda). You get to socialize while working, that way both needs are met.
~ Join groups and volunteer. Both school and college may be able to set you up with clubs or volunteer agencies. You gain experience for your resume and help out in the community. It's also a good way to make friends!
~ Branching off of that, don't be afraid to run for president of anything. I'm vice-president of my psych club : ' D And that was in my first semester.
~Don't be afraid to talk to teachers, even if it's just introducing yourself. This can be really helpful in college. If you chat with your teacher and ask for help, they're more likely to help you more in the course, and sometimes with your grades.
~ Use a digital calander or planner app to stay on top of your assignments. It's not hard, and digitally works a bit better for people that are on the computer or phone a lot because then they can see the alerts go off.
~ Speaking of which, there are apps and programs you can download that will limit your time on sites you go to procrastinate on. They usually work with what's due on the schedule or are done manually.
~ Take advantage of free stuff at school or college. My college gives back massages near finals to help students with stress = u =

I hope any of those tips helped ; u ; You're free to message me if you need help with school! Or if you have college questions or school concerns T u T9
 

Yinitara

Ruko's Ruffians
Defender of Defoko
Hey, I'm entering my third year in college and I have some advice!

1) Your planners are a great guide to figuring out when to get things done. You can always rearrange things as you see fit (which is why I use the word guide), and try to leave some time for you to relax every day. If you plan things in advance, you can allot maybe an hour of your day every day, or every other day, to finish that big project that's due in a week, instead of worrying about it last minute.

2) If you have any assigned readings, and a lot of spare time (like at the beginning of the semester) it helps to read ahead so you're not as swamped later on.

3) Youtube videos and online resources are free and a great way of tutoring yourself if you need a little extra help. Highly recommend crashcourse on youtube and khanacademy.org.

4) Don't be afraid to ask your teachers or counselor for extra help! Teachers will help you figure out what you're not understanding and fill in that missing link. I say counselor because I had a lot of trouble keeping up with work due to personal circumstances and she was able to talk to my teachers and have them ease up on deadlines for a while. If you talk to some teachers in advance, they'll even give you an extension :wink:

5) If you can, get a spare period. Just some time so you can either hang out with friends, go out, or catch up on some work if you really need it. This isn't possible for everyone but it's a nice option to have.

6) Ask your peers for help! Other students can help keep you in the loop, or help you deepen your understanding of subject content through group studies. Having a friend look over your work is great too.

7) Take advantage of your schools studying areas. If I knew I wouldn't want to study after school, I'd quickly eat my lunch and hit the quiet study area and just go over whatever content came up in the last few classes. Then I'd be free as a bird later on.

8) And, something that I needed to hear: It's okay to make mistakes. You're still learning so don't get mad at yourself for not understanding something right away. Things take time : )

College is a bit more annoying because depending on what school you go to there's little to no guidance on what you need to do in terms of confirming your spot/paying/getting your scholarships and bursaries. Literally had to be on my college's case 24/7 to get the money they owed me LOL. But my advice for college remains the same with the few other points:

1) Your readings are usually a lot longer than they were in high school (depending on your program), so break them up so you don't bore yourself doing them all in the same day. Do them sometime before the corresponding lecture though.

2) You're paying for your classes so go to them! Exceptions are classes where the profs are just reading off of powerpoints they have posted online/from the textbook. I can guarantee you can go through that content in like half the time.

3) Don't purchase your textbooks right away (if you're going to buy them). Sometimes profs don't use the book bc they're cool and they give you all the notes you need for the semester, or sometimes they use a newer edition that just came out. Usually older editions will get you by though.

4) When taking notes, I usually add comments/notes to whatever powerpoint the prof has posted to avoid spending years on going through a single chapter.

5) Join your program's/year's facebook page to keep note of deadlines and see if any older students are selling their books. Good place to discuss/ask questions c:
 
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