Tools for Success in High School
Stack of textbooks.
Congratulations… and Welcome Back to School!
Congratulations to all the recent students who promoted from middle school and are headed off to High School this Fall! I hope you’ve enjoyed your summer break and are looking forward to starting at a new school.
This post is for students who want to get the most from their high school experience, so whether you are entering your Freshman year as the “new kid” on campus, you’re returning as a Sophomore who wants to make changes from how they started their high school career, you’re preparing for a challenging Junior year with lots of responsibilities on your plate, or you’re jumping into your Senior year with excitement and readiness to be done but with one final push, my hope is that this list will provide you with some helpful tips and tricks for enjoying high school while also preparing for whatever next step you plan to take after graduation…
First and Foremost:
College is not your only option after completing high school. If you know you enjoy learning or want to enter a career that requires a college degree, then by all means, go for it! But if you strongly dislike school or the academic system, consider exploring a career in the trades, where you can jump right into specialty education after high school and work with your hands. This post is encouraging of information that will support you getting into college, and also general life skills that may make High School more fun, enjoyable, and productive for whatever you choose to do next in life. Most importantly, I hope these tools will support you in making choices you feel confident in for your own life.
Dr. Allie’s High School Success Tips:
Say no to drugs.
As cliche as this first tip may be, it’s all too important to pass up. Be the person who doesn’t need a mind- or mood-altering substance to have fun, be funny, socialize or be honest with others. Chances are, you’ll be offered to try drugs many times. Sometimes this starts as early as in middle school. So learn to say no, over and over and over again. You are allowed to say no and still be “cool”. You’re allowed to say no and still have friends. You’re allowed to say no and have a great time at the party or event. So don’t do drugs - get high on life instead.
And if you happen to be someone who has already tried drugs or is struggling with addiction and you want to make a change, now is the best time to do that. Consider sharing how you feel with a trusted adult and asking for help. I know that may sound incredibly hard now, but it’s not as hard as trying to kick a severe addiction 5-10 years from now. Save yourself the grief and call someone for help.
If you feel like you can’t talk to your parents or a trusted family/friend, then consider contacting the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) - they offer a free, confidential 24/7, 365 day-a-year treatment referral and information service to individuals and families. (Visit their website at: https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/helplines/national-helpline )
In California, consider reaching out to Teen Line, which offers younger Californians a place to share their struggles and seek guidance from peers - calls are answered by teens with special training in peer support, and the line is open to any youth or caregiver in the state who needs emotional support or referrals to local addiction resources. Call: (800) 852-8336 or Text: TEEN to 839863 (Visit their website at: https://didihirsch.org/teenline/ )
Do your work as close to when it is assigned as possible.
Procrastination sounds good in the moment, but sets you up for failure in the long run. When given the choice to, say, go for ice cream at the mall with friends or work on that 5 page essay due this week, I know it’s hard to consider saying no to your friends. Obviously one of those options sounds like a whole heck of a lot more fun than the other! So consider a compromise with yourself: Meet up with your friends at the mall after working on the essay for 15-30 minutes or at least creating an outline for the essay. OR Go to the mall with friends, but spend 1-2 hours instead of 3-4 hours and come home so you can begin working on the essay.
The best way to complete your work is in small chunks across every day of the week. This approach keeps you familiar with the material you are studying, supports you in completing the task or project in small increments, and reduces overall burnout (which otherwise gets created when we spend hours and hours of our time on one thing and become sleep-deprived while still feeling like we have 3 other assignments whose due dates somehow snuck up on us!).
Develop effective study habits now.
As a follow up to tip #2, high school is the time to develop effective study habits and note-taking techniques, especially if you are bound for college. I had an English teacher in high school, Ms. Micheli, who used to assign 5 page essays, what felt like every month. She was a stickler for us learning to develop a strong thesis statement and strong arguments to support that thesis statement… and she always reminded us that no matter how much we groaned now, we would be thanking her when we got to college. Everyone rolled their eyes… but you know what? I’ll never forget writing my first 10 page essay for a difficult history class my first in college and the ecstatic joy I felt when I received an A. Ms. Micheli was right (of course)!
So, take the time in high school to learn the art of reading or skimming in a way that you can still “get the point” of the book without getting bogged down in too many details. Learn to study or read without underlining everything, and take notes by creating short summaries in your own words. Consider taking notes by hand and developing your own short-hand for words - it’s kinda like creating your own language! The benefits of taking notes by hand (with pen + paper) have been proven by research and indicate that you’ll learn the material as you take notes because you are manipulating the information as you hear it - both with your physical writing of the material and by summarizing what you are hearing, instead of quickly typing a transcript of what the teacher said. Plus, you won’t have “autocorrect” messing up the shorthand you’ve developed!
If you’re lost on where to learn these tools, consider asking a teacher after class, talking to a school counselor who might have some tricks to share, or asking a friend who takes excellent notes!
Speak to yourself kindly. (Minimize social media use.)
Don’t get caught up in the social media comparison game that ultimately eats away at your self-worth. Using and consuming social media seems almost inevitable in today’s world, so I won’t pretend to sit here and ask you to completely quit it (though, to be fair, that would likely be the best approach for all of us!). Consider using social media in a more mindful way. (I know, even as I typed that I know it sounds silly!) But here’s the thing: We live in a capitalist society where someone is always trying to sell you something - a high-tech device, a new beauty product, new clothing, video games, or food/drinks. This subliminial messaging exists in commercials, online ads, and even in those random posts or reels that you are innocently watching on TikTok or Instagram. They get wedged between your friends’ posts about what they did for summer vacation, so it feels like no big deal. But in reality, those messages sneak through to our mind and make us question if the clothing we have in our closets is “cute enough” or if the devices we have are “cutting edge enough”. Ultimately, it can make us wonder “am I enough?”. As a teen, it’s normal to be asking ourselves questions about who we are, where we are headed, and if we are “enough” for our family and friends. Social media use makes us question this so much more than we already do on our own! So limit the social media use and speak kindly to yourself.
Your body is growing and changing, that’s true. So love yourself through the changes. Nourish your body and mind with food that has actual nutrients and vitamins, and speak kindly to yourself, about yourself, and with others. The way you speak to yourself now is laying the foundation for what you believe you are capable of. If you struggle with self-compassion and self-love, consider asking a trusted adult about your options for working with a therapist who can support you in debunking those negative beliefs and encouraging more self-compassion.
Explore different clubs and extra-curricular activities.
As a follow up to tip #4: the less social media you use, the more time you’ll have for engaging in enjoyable activities. (Actually enjoyable activities. Sure, we all enjoy resting from time to time, but I have yet to hear that someone really loves bed-rotting.) Having hobbies and activities to entertain yourself, outside of online use or getting lost in the endless feed, is incredibly helpful to staying grounded in reality and building self-confidence. As humans, we like to feel good about ourselves and the projects we are capable of completing. We like to feel challenged and witness ourselves overcome the challenge. But challenge doesn’t come without some trial and error or failure along the way. Celebrate the failure too!
When it comes to staying grounded in our reality (especially to reduce the “noise” that social media can create in our mind), having activities and hobbies to turn to is useful. Consider exploring clubs or extra-curricular activities that are already provided on your campus, or consider starting your own club to attract peers/new friends with similar interests. Not only will these clubs, activities, or new hobbies set you up for managing boredom in the future, but you may even make some friends in the process! As an added perk, if you are headed down the college track, these are great activities to speak to in your college essays or on your resume. High school is a great time to explore what interests you and what you are passionate about - so explore new things and try different activities out. Once you’ve tried, you’ll know what you like and what you don’t.
Befriend a teacher on campus.
Identify a teacher on campus that you can trust and connect with them. I don’t mean this in a weird way. I mean that having an adult who knows you and can vouch for you is a great asset to have on campus. We don’t always make the “right” decisions as teens, so when we make a mistake, need help, of want advice, sometimes as teach is the person you can turn to. They are also on campus with you most of the day, throughout most of the year. So it’s nice to feel like you have someone looking out for you when your caregivers aren’t immediately accessible. Plus, teachers become great sources for letters of recommendation or even general support during the application process for college admissions or trade apprenticeships.
Use AI as a tool, not a crutch!
As the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to rise, may I remind you that the name is artificial intelligence - that’s not the same as the intelligence that you are developing as you both acquire knowledge and common sense for how to implement that knowledge. My younger cousins recently talked to me about their use AI for creating study materials when a teacher was providing instruction in a way that didn’t quite sync with their learning styles. AI helped them understand the material and prepare for exams with flashcards and examples exam questions.
At the end of the day, you are responsible for your learning journey. Over-reliance on AI may result in struggling more later, because you never developed the foundation of knowledge and decision-making that you need in order to learn more complex information in college or beyond high school.
Additionally, your AI chatbot is not your therapist. AI is trained to validate and agree with you, not give you honest feedback or challenge you. Talk to a parent, trusted family member, safe teacher, school counselor, or individual therapist is you feel you need emotional or relationship support!
Meet new people and be kind.
Adolescence is not the easiest period of our human development cycle. So be kind to those around you and command kindness by letting go of hatred, gossip, or people who are disrespectful toward you. Meeting new friends in high school is part of the fun to be had! But not everyone has grown up on the same advice as you. Now is the time to develop a good read on others and pay attention to how they treat you, others, and themselves.
Finally, we never really know what is going on in someone else’s life, so approaching others with kindness - even in the face of unkindness - can be a powerful tool for dispelling the negativity of others and curating a group of quality friends who support you, respect you, and encourage you.
Get your driver’s license.
And drive safely! I know most teens are very much looking forward to getting their license, so this may sound like a silly one to include… but Fun fact: Dr. Allie was 23 when she finally learned to drive and got her driver’s license. Yes, there were perks to this: I never had to drive others, I saved a bunch of money on car insurance and gas - but it was also a huge inconvenience to myself and others: I was always reliant on others for a ride or had to take long commutes with public transportation.
Obtaining your driver’s license in high school sets you up for success because its a tool you will need to learn eventually and it gives you the ability to drive away from unsafe situations or any situation that is not meant for you. So if you’re considering waiting to get your license, I encourage you to look at all your options before you let time go by without learning to drive. Back to tip #1 - be safe when you’re on the road! Don’t drink and drive, don’t text and drive, don’t drive too fast or recklessly. It’s not only your life you put in jeopardy when you get behind the wheel of a car, it’s your friends’ lives, your family’s lives, and the lives of other drivers or pedestrians on the road.
Stay active - get outside and move your body!
I get it. Not everyone considers themselves an “athlete”… but, you don’t have to be an athlete to move your body and stay active. Many research studies have demonstrated over the years that physical movement is good for our physical wellbeing and our mental health. In a society that is heavily focused on brain-power, thoughts, and cognition, physical activity helps you be in your body, explore your nervous system and feelings, and can improve your sleep quality and hunger cues (which also have an impact on your overall mood).
You have many options in high school: Some of you may want to join a sports team you can improve upon over the course of all four years in high school. Or you may want to try a new sport every year of high school so you can learn what you like to do. Some of you may never join an organized sport, but rather prefer to move your body in everyday movement kind of ways (read on to see what I mean).
If you love sports and physical activity, then by all means, get out there and do your thing! Your community and school probably have tons of options for playing soccer, basketball, volleyball, lacrosse, tennis, baseball/softball, golf, crew/rowing, gymnastics, dance, swimming… Team sports teach us a lot about how to work together with others toward a common goal, how to be a leader, and how to have fun moving our bodies!
If you don’t love sports or physical activity, keep in mind that you don’t have to engage in intense physical movement to reap the benefits of it - you just have to use your body as it’s meant to be used! Try by walking to a local park so you can paint or write poetry, go tend to the garden in your yard or on your porch, bike/skate/scooter with friends (the old school way, where you have to exert energy vs. rely on the electric settings…), jog on your own, stretch at home, explore options for rock climbing at your gym or join a dance/aerobics class at the gym, take your dog for a walk or ask a friend to walk with you, have a dance party in your living room to your favorite songs, have a cosplay sword fight in the park or your backyard (just be safe!)…
Not matter how you move your body, just be sure to do it. The habits you build now for physical activity will stick with you. And sometimes, when we are most stressed, the best thing we can do is take a walk to clear our head, or go for a run to release the stress, or get into your body in a playful way - like dancing or jumping rope - so you can simply “get out of your head” for a little while.
If you’re headed down the college track…
Start exploring college options during your freshman year so you can do it at ease, rather than waiting and feeling pressured to make a quick or random decision last minute. Talk to your parents or caregivers about any limitations they may set - like only in-state schools, if out of state schools are an option, if public or private schools are options, etc. Explore the requirements for applications to different schools so you can prepare for meeting their needs, and look into scholarship options early! Visit the campus if possible, so you can get a feel for the campus culture and where you would be living. Talk to peers who have chosen that school, so you can learn about their experiences and any advice they may give were they to apply all over again. Preparing for your junior or senior year by exploring your options early will help take the pressure (or disappointment) off when it comes time to apply.
If you’re interested in trades…
Explore local apprenticeship programs and consider shadowing or going to work one say with a local who does that job so that you can see if you actually like it.
Dream big! I once rode a ski lift with a high school student determined to go into jewelry making! I was amazed he had even considered this as a career choice, since I had never explored anything like it when I was a teen. You don’t have to go to college to be successful and you don’t have to know exactly what you want to do for the rest of your life, but high school is a great time to explore your options and see what interests you!
Have fun, and be safe!
Finally, you’ll never re-do high school (which many folks are grateful for, but I’m here to remind you that there is a beauty in being young and having less responsibility than when adulthood hits). So enjoy the freedoms you have at this stage of life. All too often, we wanna race through certain periods of our life to get to the next imagined great phase of life. But the reality is: the best place you can be is right here, right now. What you do and learn now prepares you for your next steps. So soak it in, go to the football games (or basketball, baseball, soccer, cross country meets) and surround yourself with your peers!
Wishing you all a wonderful year in school and in life! I hope you make the best decisions for you.
Warmly, Dr. Allie
