I am currently a sophomore in high school who constantly is stressing over college already. I want to make sure I have a plan for college before my senior year so I can do whatever I have to do to proceed with the plan. The thing is, i'm not sure what I want to be anymore. I just want someone to advise me through this journey because I want to prove that it's possible to be on the top as long as you are work hard enough. I currently attend a highschool where we only take 4 classes. I am taking AP art history and AP world history. As well as english for this semester and computer science this whole year. I already took English 9, Algebra 1, Physics, Geometry, literacy enrichment and Pe for my freshmen year. (I did transfer schools so I am a sophomore at a new school)
I was in the same spot as you sophomore year! I would highly advise you not to stress about this now and do whatever you can in your part as a sophomore- like preparing for the SAT, planning on taking harder classes junior year, and researching/touring schools that interest you. I would also read books, watch videos, educate on your major, and possibly look for internships or shadowing opportunities that relate to that. Don't stress and don't fall into the rabbit hole of youtube of watching college acceptance videos. In all, don't compare yourself to others!
Hey there @ashley.reyes!
1. Take classes that challenge you, but aren't impossible. Two APs is a great place to start, and you can think about taking more next year, or possibly adding a few honors classes in.
2. Make sure you have a strong extracurricular resume. Sports, theatre, community service, the arts, and clubs at your school are great places to begin.
3. Plan to take the SAT and/or ACT at some point in the next few years-- the PSAT and Pre-ACT may also be available to sophomores/juniors at your school. You can also find free practice tests on both the SAT (College Board) and ACT websites.
4. Form good bonds with your teachers and counselors-- in a few years, they'll be writing you recommendation letters for college, and you want them to be good.
6. Do things you love to do! It's okay that you don't know exactly what you want to be, you're young, and you have years to figure it out. Spend the rest of high school trying out a variety of things so find something that you're passionate about. If you don't click with anything, it's okay! Plenty of people apply (and get accepted) to college without knowing what their exact career will be. Start by figuring out what you DON'T want to do, then work from there. You have plenty of time to figure this all out. Just take a deep breath and put your best foot forward.
To keep this community safe and supportive:
Thank you so much! I just want to have a decent plan so I can know what classes I would have to take as a junior.