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Though kids sometimes find it hard to believe, the high school years fly by quickly. In fact, most of our parents feel like they just graduated high school themselves and can’t believe that they already have kids who are entering this final stage before adulthood. Knowing that these years are precious and fleeting, they want to know how they can best prepare their children to have a great high school experience and set themselves up for success in the college years. With this is mind, we will be sharing our EA Checklists for each grade, beginning with our checklist for incoming freshmen.
These are a great tool for students and parents, and we hope they will ease the transition into the upcoming school year. We’ll start with our checklist for incoming freshmen. It’s a big move from middle school to high school, but parents and students alike will feel much more confident using this as a guide to a fantastic year.
The EA Checklist for Incoming Freshmen
✓ Challenge yourself academically! Pick courses that will be challenging without being overwhelming. EA can help you choose courses if you’re not sure how to strike that balance.
✓ Take a personality/career aptitude test. EA recommends one during freshman year and one during junior year. Taking this test twice during your high school career can give you direction and insight into your interests and how they have changed.
✓ Enroll in extracurricular activities! EA recommends doing at least one from each of the following categories during the course of the school year:
- Sports: You don’t have to be the greatest athlete or even have athletic aspirations, but being involved will help you make friends and stay active—and it can even open doors later on!
- Clubs: Pick one or two clubs that truly speak to your interests and in which you can be an active participant. This is much better than joining everything under the sun.
- Community Service: Again, pick one or two community service projects to take part in regularly, be it once a week, month, or quarter. Consistency and dedication are the biggest priorities here.
✓ Keep those grades up! Grades are the single most important part of your college application. Almost everyone looks back and wishes they had done better, so don’t set yourself up to be in that boat!
✓ Plan ahead. When scheduling for sophomore year, talk to EA about which courses to take.
✓ Have fun! High School will go by fast, so make sure you take time to enjoy it!
If you have any additional questions about how to prepare for a great freshman year or how to implement any part of this checklist for incoming freshmen, please reach out to us at info@eliteacademics.com or 720-216-2222. And stay tuned for checklists for sophomores, juniors, and seniors.