Success in High School
Staying on Track
As you succeed in high school and beyond, practice by trying to do the best you can at any given opportunity. With classwork, after school activities, family commitments, and life happening all around you, sometimes you may feel like it is a little hard to keep on track and stay motivated. No worries, it happens to all of us. So, here are a few ways how the College Board recommends you stay on the right track and stay motivated along the way.
Focus on High-Impact Activities
The key to success in school is to remain focused on your coursework. Make a list to get an overall picture of your workload before you start to tackle any of it. Then, make a plan. Although it’s tempting to do the simplest assignments first, those that take more time and effort to accomplish are probably the ones that you’ll learn the most from.
To determine what your priorities are, rank your assignments in the order of their importance. Then rearrange your time and devote more energy toward those that have the greatest impact on your coursework and grades. For example, even though all homework assignments are important, studying for a midterm exam may take priority over completing a short essay response for health class. As you complete each task, think of it as another step along your way to college or postsecondary success.
Create New Challenges
Changing your approach can help you stay interested in what you’re doing. If you've been given an assignment similar to one you've done in the past, think about it in a different way. If you wrote a play for a creative writing assignment last year, try a full interpretation of a poem this time. For book reports, select a text on world history instead of another autobiography or memoir.
Set Attainable Goals
If you're having trouble writing a 25-page paper for class because it seems like it would involve a huge amount of effort, don't focus on that final number. Break the paper down and approach each section (introduction, body, and conclusion), individually. You can handle any large project a lot better by dividing it into manageable portions or, more simply put, by chunking it.
Acknowledge Your Accomplishments
Give yourself a quick reward when you complete an assignment or task. Take a walk, send an e-mail, and get a snack— whatever works for you. Then move on to the next project.
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Focus on High-Impact Activities
The key to success in school is to remain focused on your coursework. Make a list to get an overall picture of your workload before you start to tackle any of it. Then, make a plan. Although it’s tempting to do the simplest assignments first, those that take more time and effort to accomplish are probably the ones that you’ll learn the most from.
To determine what your priorities are, rank your assignments in the order of their importance. Then rearrange your time and devote more energy toward those that have the greatest impact on your coursework and grades. For example, even though all homework assignments are important, studying for a midterm exam may take priority over completing a short essay response for health class. As you complete each task, think of it as another step along your way to college or postsecondary success.
Create New Challenges
Changing your approach can help you stay interested in what you’re doing. If you've been given an assignment similar to one you've done in the past, think about it in a different way. If you wrote a play for a creative writing assignment last year, try a full interpretation of a poem this time. For book reports, select a text on world history instead of another autobiography or memoir.
Set Attainable Goals
If you're having trouble writing a 25-page paper for class because it seems like it would involve a huge amount of effort, don't focus on that final number. Break the paper down and approach each section (introduction, body, and conclusion), individually. You can handle any large project a lot better by dividing it into manageable portions or, more simply put, by chunking it.
Acknowledge Your Accomplishments
Give yourself a quick reward when you complete an assignment or task. Take a walk, send an e-mail, and get a snack— whatever works for you. Then move on to the next project.
Click Here to Learn More