High school is a time for students to get serious about their future. If they are planning on getting into a good college, they need to start the process of looking for one as early as the ninth grade. However, what do colleges look at in high school students? It is conduct, grades, and career goals.
Having Good Conduct
Having good behavior is important. When an Ivy League university looks into your background and transcripts, it needs to be squeaky clean. There should be no suspensions, assaults, theft, or even arrests sitting on your records. Some colleges may accept you, but a prestigious university will not. Your arrest record might not be something that may come up in college admissions talk often, but it’s highly critical for your future success in higher education. Practice safe driving, if you need to
Extracurriculars
To be a well-rounded student, you need have been involved in other things than just school. Whether it’s a sport or some sort of artistic activity, it’s going to look good on your applications. If you’re not big on either of those types of activities, and want to highlight your leadership abilities, look at starting a club (particularly one focusing on bettering the lives of others or serving a community). You should also look into student council and being a member of the honor society. These might not seem as significant as your grades or the classes you take, but they show that you are above the rest.
Having A Good Grade Point Average
The Honor roll is the most important reward a high school student really should attain to achieve. Not only should you make the honor roll, but you should also stay there. Being valedictorian, salutatorian, magna cum laude, and cum laude can help you get good scholarships. That means less student loan debt, if any, to deal with. It is always good to check your high school ranking and improve upon it as much as possible.
If you’re wanting to go to an Ivy League, you’ll need perfect grades. They have the best degree programs and only want the students who are top achievers attending their schools.
Choosing Career Goals
Whatever your career goals are, there is a university to match them. There are schools that have excellent nursing programs and internships available to help you get that high paying job you want if you know that you want to do that. So knowing what your career goals can help you save money in the future, and help you make a more specific college choice, as not all the top colleges will have the best programs for your specific goals. You can find out more about your career goals and what might fit you best by taking some aptitude tests and personality tests.
At the end of the day, try your best at school, get good grades, and keep out of trouble.
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