COLLEGE

Hi @Jenner_Jenner, I'm a 16-year-old junior and I wanted to give you some advice.

First of all, starting strong your freshman year is important. Keep high grades an early habit. This not only raises your GPA but eventually high grades will feel natural and come more easily.

Develop good classroom manners, too. Interact with the teacher and be sure to raise your hand for any questions you have answers for. Teachers love interactive, punctual students, so stay on top of things so they don't have to hunt you down. Later in high school, teacher relationships will be very important- you will need someone to write a glowing letter of recommendation!

Also, it's ok not to know what you want to do after high school. You are just beginning high school and you don't need to have your life figured out. Let high school be the time where you explore the world and find what really interests you careerwise.

Get help when you are struggling. There are times when our best doesn't get us far enough; always get help when you are having difficulty understanding something. Tutoring does not need to be embarrassing- find a friend who is doing better in the subject or an older person who is familiar with the subject. If you get help right away, there's more time to recover grades and who wants to waste time in frustration? Remove some stress by asking for help.

The biggest piece of advice I can give is to ENJOY HIGH SCHOOL. Make time for the activities you enjoy and you won't regret it. Too many high school students burn out from too much stress; keep everything balanced. Do your best in all your classes but make time for fun, too. The hobbies I had at the beginning of high school are now becoming my career and have made me the person I am. Pay attention to what makes you relax and where your happy space is. Mine is the garden. I am now taking certificate level floral design classes and moving towards a job and hopefully a degree in ornamental horticulture. Our culture says you need to be smart and go to a top school and make 6 figures to be happy. NOT TRUE! Do what you love, and money will follow. I plan to begin a business someday. This is not easy and may not bring much money initially but I am willing to work hard and make my way up. This attitude is essential in high school, college, and all of life. Develop that early and you will find yourself in places you never would have imagined.

Happy highschooling!

im currently 16 as of right now you quit to young to be tryting to apply for college i say wait your junior year to apply for college just focuse on getting you gpa up