How Your High School Can Help Prepare You for College
High school is an important phase in a student’s life. Crucial decisions about your future are to be made during this time and you’ll often feel overwhelmed. While you’re eager for the independence that comes with college, there will also be responsibility and a need for maturity. You can put your high school experience to good use preparing for the challenges of college life.
Here are some ways to make the transition to college life easier:
Join clubs and other extracurricular activities – Your secondary school in Abu Dhabi will have activities like sports, arts, drama, debate, etc. Participating in these will enhance your resume for when you apply to universities. Volunteer and participate in community service programs. These electives will help develop your personality as well as social skills. You will also learn how to best manage a busy schedule.
Work on your note-taking skills – Good listening and note-taking skills prove vital in college classes, where professors cover a lot of content in each class. Taking handwritten notes will also help you retain information more effectively.
Develop public speaking, research, reading, and writing skills – You will have long reading lists to get through in college. You will also be writing a lot of term papers, essays, and presentations in college. Use your time now to become a better writer and speaker. Take extra classes at the community college if required.
Learn to manage your time, be organized and disciplined – You will be managing your schedule of classes, extracurricular activities, clubs, homework, and social life in college. Use calendars, to-do lists, and apps to learn time management now, so that you can be better organized in college.
Develop good relationships with your teachers – They will be giving you recommendations for your applications. You will also learn how to effectively talk to your professors during classes and tutorials.
Make friends and work in groups – Peer relationships and the ability to work well with others will help you during group assignments.
School classes and assessments prepare you for different teaching and testing styles – You get used to a variety of teachers and tests. Pop quizzes train you to study regularly in college. Midterms and finals teach you to study and recall a large amount of information for one large test.
Develop good study habits – Be responsible and attend classes regularly. Learn to use your study time efficiently.
While you develop skills that will help you in college, you also need to start preparing for college admission during the high school years. Here’s how to go about it:
Talk to your school counselor – She can guide you in choosing a course and university as well as give leads for financial aid.
Research the requirements for your chosen course – Check out the subjects and other criteria for applying to your chosen degree. You can accordingly fulfill those requirements before you start filling college applications.
Enroll in higher-level courses – These can help you with core credit subjects in college.
Attend education and college fairs - Attend university presentations and college fairs to interact with schools face to face. You will learn about admissions processes and can plan your admissions strategy accordingly.
Prepare for PSAT, SAT, ACT Tests – These scores are pre-requisites for entry into college and you would need to take them in the last two years of your secondary school.
Start the college application process in grade 11 – You need to work on essays, recommendation letters, testimonials, etc., and complete them well before the application deadline.
Talk to your high school alumni – Contact them through social media and get feedback on universities as well as tips for your college applications.