An Open Letter to Those Going to School in the Fall

by Veronica Navarro

I have learned many things in high school—some of these things I learned the hard way, and I desire that you don't learn these various things the hard way yourself but that you listen to my advice so that you can enjoy your high school career.

​Below are 15 practical pieces of advice from someone who has walked the road and will soon be graduating.

1. Don’t feel like you have to join every club and play every sport. Colleges can spot “fluff” activities, and would rather see two or three things that you’re truly passionate about!
   
   
2. If you do participate in lots of activities, find ways to center them around one of your passions. For example, if you’re in mock trial and theatre, but theatre is your passion, you could say that you are in mock trial to freshen up your public speaking skills and to get more comfortable in front of crowds so that you can perform even better.
   
   
3. This is probably a given, but take any extra credit that is presented to you. Your grade could drop at any time and you will be thankful that you have that cushion to fall back on.
   
   
4. This one is a bit of a surprise, but colleges prefer students that do not participate in CTE programs, unless those programs require a college degree to pursue. For example, if you are taking mechanics as a CTE, colleges will view you as a student whose first choice wasn’t going to college. However, if you participate in the medical CTE or one of that nature (that you need college for), colleges will see it as you pursuing a passion—and this will get you some brownie points!
   
   
5. I think that this goes without saying, but join any Honor Societies that you can! (I’m not entirely sure about other schools, but mine requires a 3.4 GPA to be nominated for the National Honor Society as a sophomore.)
   
   
6. If you are a Christian and attend a church, get plugged in with any volunteer opportunities. This will help you when applying to volunteer-based honor societies like NHS.
   
   
7. Not trying in school isn’t cool. It isn’t cute. It isn’t funny. It definitely isn’t something to be proud of.
   
   
8. If your grades fall, it’s not the end of the world. Talk to your teachers and ask for help. Don’t give up until the day grades are due.
   
   
9. Playing an instrument can do much more for you than just give you another extracurricular. Individuals who play string instruments tend to have higher IQs than those who don’t, and I’m sure being in band wouldn’t hurt either 😉
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10. Saying "hello" to your superiors (e.g., teachers, counselors, principals, etc.) help them associate you with positivity and confidence. This will help you later. Trust me.
    
    
11. Only allow your social medias to reflect things that you are 100% proud of. Don’t constantly post negatively. Don’t post photos in skimpy outfits. Don’t curse. Don’t get in arguments. Things like that can easily change an admission counselor’s mind about you.l, and what happens online stays online (If you have done this, clean up your pages quickly 👀)
    
    
12. As much as you want to, don’t worry about taking the SAT until the spring of your junior year. Otherwise, you’re wasting money or one of your waivers taking a test over content that you probably haven’t even learned yet, and your score doesn’t have a good chance of being all that great.
    
    
13. Don’t waste your time and money taking a test that you didn’t study for. Two weeks of studying for the SAT or ACT can drastically change your scores. Simply get an SAT or ACT book from the library and sit down and read it. Take a few practice tests before and after you finish the book to see how it helped.
    
    
14. Friends will come and go, but you will always have your bright future to comfort you. Look ahead, not behind.
    
    
15. ​And lastly, a 4.0 isn’t as important as being kind and compassionate to those around you. Don’t let yourself become a narcissist just because you’re so focused on yourself and your achievements.

Good luck in high school!

*Most of my information came from personal experience and SupertutorTV

Veronica Navarro

Veronica, a senior at Clay High School (Class of 2019), is a friend, leader, but most importantly big sister, and she currently serves on our student ministry's Student Leadership Team.