There are many different opinions over whether or not what you do in high school can prepare you for college, for your career, and your eventual life. It is almost impossible to agree with everyone on this topic, because there are people from different backgrounds that have had different experiences when it came to high school and college. I can tell you, however, that no matter where you come from, what elementary school you came from, what junior high you came from, or even what high school you came from, or even if you didn’t go to high school, the only way to become prepared through college is through yourself. It comes through your drive to succeed, it comes from your motivation, it comes through the classes you take and it comes from the people you surround yourself with. Even if you come from a disadvantaged home in a crime-filled neighborhood and went to a poor high school, if you find determination within yourself, it is always possible for you to go to college. It may not be the school of your dreams, it may just have to be the cheaper option, or even community college, but if you try you can get there. On the other side, you may come from a wealthy neighborhood, go to a prestigious high-school and have all the resources you need to go to college, if you don’t try hard enough, if you don’t have the motivation or plainly just do not want to you’ll never make it to college. College is for the strong minded and the strong willed.
Within that, what are the steps to take to become one of the strong minded and strong willed people? Who are you supposed to surround yourself with? What classes should you take? Well, that depends on your future goal in life. For example you will want to take an AP Calculus class if you’re going to be an engineer. But if you are leaning towards art school, you may want to focus on the art classes instead. You may want to associate with other people who enjoy art, as you may learn from them and they may be of good influence on your career. High-school is largely focused around priorities, and if you don’t have them you will not succeed. Once you have enrolled in the appropriate, but more ideally challenging, classes that your school offers, you have good friends, who can be your support group, have set your priorities straight, and mapped out you future, there is no way to stop you from achieving what you want to achieve, especially if your goal is college. It’s all about being strong and going for what you think you can do and what you want to do.
One may wonder, how influential is the high-school you attend in helping you with getting on that college bound path? Of course, like I discussed above, high-school is what you make of it. You can take the challenging courses or you can not. It also really just depends on the school individually. Some schools don’t offer the courses you need to prepare you for your intended field of study, and maybe they don’t offer any challenging enough courses at all. You might not know what a really challenging class is like until it hits you like a train when you take your first college chemistry class. However, you may be fortunate enough to attend a high-school that more than the necessary resources available to prepare you for college. There may, in fact, be an overwhelming amount. However, graduates of these types of school are generally well equipped for college. You may notice, like I mentioned above, some are not. These people are not strong willed and did not take advantage of what they were given. That is not to say that those who came from a poor high school are not prepared for college. They will be if they want to be, if they try to be. They will find the resources necessary to succeed.
What are some examples of the courses that your high-school may offer that well prepare you for college? I know for one thing, my school has them. For example, I am enrolled in AP U.S. History. That class has taught me so many valuable lessons about staying on top of your work, getting into good studying habits, academic competition, and learning that you get what you out into it. I feel that that class is assisting me in becoming prepared for my future. Everything I’ve learned I will be able to apply it to my future. That’s not even counting all the valuable knowledge I am gaining.
I know that there are many other difficult, challenging and yet rewarding classes like that are offered at our school. We are blessed with many gifted teachers, helpful administrators, and caring counselors that I feel all share the common goal of guiding their students to success. I feel our school prepares us well for college.
I must point out that that will not be the case for all schools. Many high-schools’ staff are there just to get paid, and don’t care at all about your future. They don’t care that you might be trying your hardest to succeed. They may fail to remember that they were once in your position, trying to get good grades, trying to make good friends, trying to succeed. It doesn’t matter to them. Like I’ve mentioned many times before, It is how you handle the situation in your school that counts.
Your high-school may be there to help you get to college. It may give you everything you need. It may hold your hand along the way. You may get the ‘A.P. U.S. History’ experience. You may not, and your school may make it hard for you. The lesson to learn is that no matter your situation, it does not have to affect your success when it comes to college. You do.
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