High school is often seen as a time of change and discovering where one’s academic interests lie. It is also a time for thinking ahead to what type of secondary education you would like to pursue if any at all. After all, a high school diploma or GED only goes so far. It is a time for stretching one’s wings and applying oneself to the classes you have chosen. From personal experience there are a couple of ways to get maximum benefits for your time and hard work. Here’s hoping any future or present high school student will choose to apply themselves after reading the following words.

The first piece of advice is to find an extracurricular activity that you enjoy. It could be a sports team, an academic club, or a group such as girl scouts or cub scouts (my activities of choice included Band-marching and concert, German club, girl scouts, and horseback riding). These activities are often fun and help to relieve stress that accumulates from mountains of homework and rampant testing, and they look great on college applications. It is also a great way to make new friends that share your interests. These could become the people you go to when you need an extra boost because the work load seems insurmountable.

The second piece of advice is not to shy away from that AP class. Advanced placement courses that are generally offered to juniors and seniors are a great way to push the boundaries of your academic career. They also make for a great investment if you plan to attend college as you can gain credit for courses that otherwise would have cost a small fortune. The class itself provides a great challenge on its own (AP German was one of my favorite classes during high school). If you can keep your cool during the test at the end of the year then you may just walk away with some college credit under your belt. The one thing to make sure of though is that if the credits do not count towards a major requirement, see if the school will allow them to cover a gen ed instead. Taking the plunge into these offered classes can lead to a college course load that is potentially filled with classes you both need for your major or just want to take, or it could free you up to take on a second major entirely.

High school can be a turning point. What you choose to do with those four years is ultimately up to you. Taking the time to pursue your interests outside of school can provide a healthy outlet for stress and give the brain a much needed break from academics. Taking on advanced placement courses can challenge you in new ways and even help take some of the strain off of those necessary college courses. Take it or leave it, but I've found that these two pieces of advice helped me through high school.