How Sophomores Can Set Themselves Up for Success
How Sophomores Can Set Themselves Up for Success
Now that you’re in the second semester of 10th grade, hopefully you’ve gotten the rhythm of high school down. By now, you should have an understanding of what your teachers expect from you, what kind of effort is necessary for you to succeed in your classes, and which extracurricular activities are most meaningful to you.As you move deeper into your high school career you must take increasing ownership over the choices you make about how to distinguish yourself from your peers. Your path to becoming a successful college applicant begins long before you start crafting your essay.You are currently writing your own story. Will it be a tale of great accomplishments and service to others? Will it be a captivating account of redemption, where you turn past mistakes into future triumphs? Or will it be a disappointing narrative of untapped potential and good ideas left on the drawing board?It’s up to you!Let’s take a look at a few strategies you can employ to set yourself up for success not only for the rest of this year but throughout your high school career.
Learn From 9th Grade
How do you feel about your performance last year? Perhaps you started your high school career off with straight As. Or maybe the transition was rougher than you anticipated.No matter how you began, there are lessons you can (and should) apply as you move forward. Ask yourself the following:
- Did you work to your potential last year?
- Which classes did you excel in? Why?
- Which teachers “spoke your language?” Why?
- If you could do something over, what would it be? Why?
- What common themes – positive or negative – came up for you in teacher conferences and progress reports? How closely do these themes align with your perception of self?
Take some time to perform this self-inventory and begin applying the discoveries you make little by little daily. If, for example, you realize that one of your common themes is “quiet,” challenge yourself to make one comment per class discussion.
Stay Open-Minded to New Strategies and Ideas
Even as you evaluate your past performance, avoid the temptation to think that you’ve figured out all the answers already. Yes, you’ve known yourself for well over a decade now, but there’s still much to learn.Be open-minded to new suggestions or ideas for how you can more effectively spend your time or reach your goals. Your teachers, college counselor, or – gasp! – even your parents may have valuable insight that helps you unlock your potential and increase your impact.You can set yourself up to be the kind of college applicant admissions officers clamor after by demonstrating growth. Begin developing relationships with potential mentors – teachers, community leaders, coaches, etc. – and learn as much as you can from their experience.
Act on What You Love
What are you passionate about? If you could only do one activity or spend time engaging with only one community, which would you choose?Now that you’re fully entrenched in sophomore year, it’s time to put action to those passions. If you haven’t already, find clubs or organizations that are relevant to the area you want to focus on. You may have to look beyond your high school, but that won’t deter you if you truly want to set yourself up for success.Don’t allow being young to be an excuse for not making your voice heard. You may not be able to be a club president as a 10th grader, but that doesn’t mean you can’t express your opinion and back it up with work and research.
Reject Perfect
If you wait to start action until everything is ready or perfect, you will always be waiting. Sophomore year is a great time to embrace the notion of getting started at “good enough.” As you continue to gain information through trial and error, you’ll be able to improve your approach for future efforts.Avoid the trap of perfectionism both in your initiative and in your writing. Embrace making improvements over time and, by the time you’re ready to apply to college, you’ll be ahead of your competition.
Visualize Graduation Day
Think about how you want to feel as you walk across the stage at graduation. Envision your successes and setbacks. Now envision the effort it took to achieve your successes and the mistakes that led to your setbacks.Having a clear vision of the path ahead of you will keep you focused on your goals and help you persevere through the difficult steps in reaching them. It can be easy to overlook the big picture because you’re stuck in the details.The beginning of this semester is a great time to push the pause button and imagine how great it will feel at graduation to have achieved academic success and made the impact you set out to make on your community. Ask yourself what actions you took sophomore year to make these things a reality, then set a plan to complete those actions.Successful college applicants make the most of each opportunity to pursue their passions and grow. Many students benefit from working with an admissions expert to identify signature opportunities and maximize the impact of their activities.The expert admissions consultants at Wise World Prep have helped hundreds of students maximize their potential of being admitted to their top choice colleges and universities. Over 20 years, we have successfully guided students through each stage of the application process – from choosing competitive high school courses to building an appropriate college list to drafting winning essays to writing persuasive update and appeals letters. We would be happy to answer your questions and partner with you to create a successful admissions roadmap.Ready to get started? Schedule a complimentary 20-minute conversation today!Want to stay informed? Subscribe to our newsletter. See what others are saying about us