Is there anything you reccomend I do the next 3 years before college?

[AgaBoogaBoo]

I'm looking for any tips you guys have or things you would have done the last 3 years of HS before college to make life easier.

Is there something I should study/explore so I can get a certain job in college? Any classes you wish you took that is helpful in general like cooking classes?

I want to do something within these years to make years later on maybe a bit more fun.

Oh yeah, what kind of jobs pay the most for college students?

 

[Spoooon]

The one thing I really regret is not really taking advantage of being forced to learn a second language.

 

[Lager]

1. Take many AP classes as possible and pass them.

2. Get a part time job in your senior year.

3. Get good grades.

At least that's the advice my cousins gave me...

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Originally posted by: coldcut
1. Take many AP classes as possible and pass them.

2. Get a part time job in your senior year.

3. Get good grades.

At least that's the advice my cousins gave me...

Any reason for the AP courses other than colleges saying "Wow" when you get an A in them or something?

 

[Lager]

You can graduate college earlier.

 

[Defenestrator]

1. Get good grades.
2. Get good SAT/SAT II scores.
3. Enjoy yourself...life was a lot simplier back then.

 

[Spoooon]

Originally posted by: coldcut
You can graduate college earlier.

No you can't. Atleast, I couldn't. I took AP chemistry, physics, and calculus courses. None of the colleges I applied to would take them for credit. What they will do is give you the background necessary for the AP exams, which will give you college credit.

 

[Spencer278]

Or Slack off more also so times there are benifits to having more credits like registering for classes or housing sooner. Also they give you a lot more freedom to change major's, fail class, drop class or what ever with out staying for an extra year.

 

[RabidMongoose]

Originally posted by: Spoooon

Originally posted by: coldcut
You can graduate college earlier.

No you can't. Atleast, I couldn't. I took AP chemistry, physics, and calculus courses. None of the colleges I applied to would take them for credit. What they will do is give you the background necessary for the AP exams, which will give you college credit.

A lot of colleges give credit if you get a 4 or 5 on the AP Exam. Which university did you go to?

I also agree with you about learning a foreign language. I should have taken at least 4 years of studying another language.

 

[Spoooon]

Originally posted by: RabidMongoose

Originally posted by: Spoooon

Originally posted by: coldcut
You can graduate college earlier.

No you can't. Atleast, I couldn't. I took AP chemistry, physics, and calculus courses. None of the colleges I applied to would take them for credit. What they will do is give you the background necessary for the AP exams, which will give you college credit.

A lot of colleges give credit if you get a 4 or 5 on the AP Exam. Which university did you go to?

I also agree with you about learning a foreign language. I should have taken at least 4 years of studying another language.

No, coldcut made it sound like the AP classes themselves will give you college credit. That may not have been his intent, just what I thought he meant. Yeah, the AP exams will get you credit.

 

[Mookow]

Originally posted by: AgaBooga
I'm looking for any tips you guys have or things you would have done the last 3 years of HS before college to make life easier.

Is there something I should study/explore so I can get a certain job in college? Any classes you wish you took that is helpful in general like cooking classes?

I want to do something within these years to make years later on maybe a bit more fun.

Oh yeah, what kind of jobs pay the most for college students?

Get a job when you can, part time, and save the cash. You wont like it now, but having a bank roll while in college is very nice. Just dont blow it all at once, meter it out and have some spending money.

Learn to cook, from your mom or family members. If you have an uncle that is still a bachelor, ask him how he really cooks, and see what kind of foods you like. If your uncle is like mine, you'll learn how to cook cheap food that is actually palatable, and not named "ramen".

A lot of people may disagree, but have some experience with drinking, and see how you react to alcohol. Do it in some sort of controlled enviroment the first few times. The freshmen in college who have issues with drinking and their resulting behavior are the ones that have the least drinking experience, at least from what I have seen. Alcohol can be fun, but KNOW YOUR LIMIT. Its pretty important to know your limits, and may save you from some embarassment/pain. I went into college having already been exposed to alcohol. What can I say, with regards to alcohol, my family is stereo-typically Irish. My dad and uncles combined to get me (inadvertently) wasted at a wedding when I was 10. Every St. Patricks Day from age 13 or 14 onward, I was drunk before noon, and while my parents werent giving me the beer (it was my uncles), they had to know, and they didnt do anything. Move in day freshman year, my dad carried in four 12 packs of beer that my sister bought me. My three roommates didnt have much/any experience with alcohol, and they had some problems. I had no problem.

Keep it wrapped up before and during college.

Take some AP classes, you'll be able to take more electives, or graduate early.

 

[johnjohn320]

I'm a senior in HS, maybe a slightly different perspective. All I can say is really work your butt off to do as good as you can the first 3 years academically. Graduation sneaks up on you, trust me. Also, don't be scared to at least try out a lot of extracurriculars. I didn't even start looking at a lot of them til junior year, and I regretted wasting the 2 previous years. Just try em and see if you like em.

And, if you happen to want to be a music major, start practicing those auditions EARLY. I gave myself about 6 months...now I've got about 3, and I'm sure wishing I'd started sooner.

 

[FuZoR]

Don't slack off and do piss poor work... like I did. After freshman year i stopped caring :-( I just got by with Bs and Cs. Study for the SATs... i laughed at everyone with that huge 10 Real SATs book. Guess they were the last ones laughing cause i got a crappy 1120. So STUDY.

hmm what else... TAKE AP Classes!! You'll have some credits when you start college. I dropped most of them cause i was lazy and thus leaving only 2 classes in senior year which was pathetic cause i could have just taken those two classes in junior year and graduated early what a waste of a year.

 

[Hossenfeffer]

Ok, I'm sure it's the drinks talkin, but what a great way for me to live vicariously through someone else....

I wish I'd taken more time studying a second language. a VERY marketable skill. I took three years of spanish, but I feel like I went through one. To be able to say you're bilingual is huge. Maybe consider a foreign exchange program.

A part-time job will (hopefully) keep you a) funded and b) responsible. Recommended. (I didn't really do this. Wish I had)

I took several AP classes and, while they gave me some college credit, practical experience is where it's at. If you're into computers, try to get an apprenticeship/job either in your school or elsewhere. Practical experience is good, good stuff.

Might be a groaner for some, but I always recommend theatre/drama. It changed my life. Take a drama class if you can. In my humble opinion, it helps you with communication, your comfort level in front of a group, and working with others.


As others have said, good grades are a definite thing to strive for. In the moment, a B+ is so similar to an A-, but strive for scholarships. Put in a decent effort and you'll be able to land some. Along those lines, take a "Hot deals forum" approach to scholarships/grants. Go looking for em.

Do your best to see the "big picture". Go out to a movie or study? Seriously consider asking someone, either here or elsewhere. Social skills are a good thing, but grades can get you the "in" a bit more readily

 

[SludgeFactory]

If you can't touch type, take a typing class. It's easy and a very valuable skill that'll serve you well for many years.

Hmmm, if you're thinking about engineering or science, a shop class would probably be a good thing to take. Hands on experience is something that's underrated until you need it. It'll help you in the few college classes where you have to fabricate stuff, and overall it'll help you conceptualize things better. I didn't take shop but kind of wish I had. I had basic hands on experience with tools and woodworking at home with my dad, but I think I could have learned things from shop.

Also, if you're going for a technical major in college, take as much math and science as you can take at the high school level. The math will bitch slap you in college if you're not ready for it.

johnjohn320 is right, build up the extracurriculars early on, you can't just wait and join organizations in your senior year and attain leadership positions, when you've suddenly figured out you need them for scholarship applications.

Get some kind of cushy on-campus job in college.

Read books, stay away from teh internet


EDIT: Crap, this is a biggie. If you're not physically fit, GET fit. (If you're OK in that department, ignore the following).

You have the internet and access to all the fitness knowledge you could want. If you're a little or a lot overweight, it will NEVER be easier to get slim than right now. Whether you're overweight or not, lift weights now and put on muscle. It will NEVER be easier and it's something that will literally help you the rest of your life. Even if you let that muscle atrophy over time, you can get it back quicker than if you had never built it in the first place. I'm not kidding about this, if I could turn back the clock, this would be #1 on my list of priorities.

 

[pelikan]

Learn about yourself. Who are you? What do you like to do? What are your passions in life?

 

[axelfox]

Life doesn't get easier as you get older.

 

[Orsorum]

Scratch the AP course idea. Do a program that lets you do community college courses starting your junior year. Try and get a full 2 years in, then transfer to a state 4 year - 4.0 as many as possible. If you can get involved on the cc campus, it's a great way to get involved and meet people who are older than you.

Then graduate when you're 20 and go to grad school.

 

[Hossenfeffer]

Argh, to be 17 again. Ok, it's the drinks talkin', but -great thread-. Wish I would've had the outlet (and actually asked) at your age. Whatever you do, put the effort in. So many days I'd wished I'd not simply "got by".