community.counseling: Advice for Freshmen

Advice for Freshmen

The Friendly Counseling Department @ Community High, John, Diane and Karen, say:

Work with us and your Forum Leader to develop your 4-year plan of courses, Community Resources and Independent Studies. Along with this list, make another one which includes extra-curricular and community service activities you wish to plan. Begin setting aside money for college.

A year-long planner is extremely helpful – it is never too early to plan for the future!

Build strong academic, language, mathematics and critical thinking skills by taking challenging courses.
Study hard and get excellent grades.
Strengthen your vocabulary by increasing your reading.
Become involved in co-curricular activities.
Meet your high school guidance counselor and discuss your plans for the next four years.
Browse through college literature or surf the Web to get an idea of what kinds of schools may be of interest to you.
Check out what high school courses colleges require.
Know NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) requirements if you want to play sports in college.
Keep an academic portfolio and co-curricular record.
Research career possibilities.
Begin saving money for college.

Other helpful resources and ideas.

High School 101: Freshman Survival Guide (Paperback)
by Dawn Burnette <http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url?_encoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Dawn%20Burnette><http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url?%5Fencoding=UTF8&search-type=ss&index=books&field-author=Dawn%20Burnette>
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Helpful (we hope) advice:
1. In high school, everything you do -- or do not do --- counts. This leads to an explanation of a transcript: what it contains, how it is used, who sees it, etc.

2. The easiest way to do poorly in a class is: don't do homework. The converse is also true. Homework matters in high school! It shows a teacher you care about the class. Even if a teacher does not "grade" it, it i expected you will do it as practice, just as you would practice a sport, an instrument, or a part in a play. Develop good study habits.

3. Every teacher in high school believes his/her subject/class is THE most important. Students need to accept this and learn to live with it. Whether they like the subject or not, it is probably the teacher's passion.

4. Plan your time well; become a master/mistress of time management.

5. Know who to turn to when in need; in particular, let them know how much a counselor does for them in high school and that it is to their advantage to get to know you. Too many students come into high school thinking that you only go to the counselor if you get into trouble --- it seems that is what many middle school counselors are used to.

6. Choose your friends wisely. If you go looking for trouble you will find it. Adolescence brings new challenges in many areas -- academic, personal, social, etc.; all actions have consequences and in high school you must learn to take responsibility for your actions.

7. Think before you speak. Your words may get you into trouble with teachers, administrators and your peers. Learn tact -- what it is, how to use it -- or prepare for the consequences.

8. When in doubt, don't. Trust your gut and you will usually do the "right"
thing.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey is a great resource.

Hope this is helpful. Let me know if you have questions.
Patricia Shappell
International School of Warsaw.

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http://www.eduguide.org/Students/ArticleDisplay/tabid/113/id/1977/College-Prep-Checklist.aspx

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10 More Tips:
1. Meet with your counselor-they will be helpful in planning your classes and college preparation.

2. Get involved-sign up for extra curriculars.

3. Start off right-From freshmen year on colleges are going to be looking at your grades which go in your permanent record-on your transcript.

4. Develop good study habits-Good study habits not only help you organize your life and get high grades , succeed in school but also in life after high school when you get a job, further your education etc.

5. Attend school regularly-if you are not in class you will not be able to understand the material.You miss so much when you are not there. You can't ask questions nor benefit from questions that other students ask. In science you miss labs which you can not due at home. Colleges, special programs you may want to apply to, and future employers will be looking at your
attendance record.

6. Review the first month- How am I doing? Where can I find help if I need it? How can I stay motivated?

7. Stay involved-If you have not done so already join a club or organization, try out for a sport.Studies show that students who are connected to people at school do better.You want to have someone at school who cares about you, who you can feel comfortable talking to, someone who cares that you have come to school-they would miss you if you were not there.

8. Take time to prepare for semester exams. Review your notes

9. Stay organized.Write assignments in you planner-especially long term assignments, upcoming quizzes and tests.

10. Do your homework. Many teachers require homework to be completed-it has a significant effect on your grade in the class.Homework is a chance to review and reinforce concepts learned in class.

Hope this helps. Judie Northcutt jnorthcutt@pkwy.k12.mo.us

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Survive-Your-Freshman-Year-in-High-School
http://www.wikihow.com/Survive-Your-Freshman-Year-in-High-School

http://www.greatneck.k12.ny.us/GNPS/SHS/freshman/QuickTips.htm

http://homeworktips.about.com/od/preparingforcollege/bb/freshman.htm

How is College Different from High School from Southern Methodist University
http://www.smu.edu/alec/whyhighschool.html