The Final Steps
If you are High School senior looking to pursue full-time college or community college or a technical or trade school acceptance, these are things to consider and prepare for. CPAP helps you to stay on task!
Do your homework
* Research what is out there in the world that resonates with your interests. Are you interested in music, science, math, art, computers, engineering?
* Explore colleges that not only relate to your subject area, but also have a good reputation in that field. This way, job recruiters will have your college on their list, which will enhance your opportunity for employment.
* Try out different classes that you find interesting.
Many people wait until their junior year to experience their major and are disappointed when they find out that they don’t resonate with it, at all.
* Use your first two years of college to experience introductory courses that you find exciting or appealing.
* Use your high school subject matter as a starting point.
If you liked math, science, or technology, you may find courses that are interesting in that subject.
* Prioritize
The first year of school can be the most difficult for some college students. It is in the first year that colleges weed out the good, the bad, and the ugly. Grades do count.
* Prioritize your time so that you strike a balance between having fun, which is important, and doing your work.
* Know what your teacher is looking for. Sometimes you can study hard but miss the point.
* Try study groups.
By studying in a group, each participant shares what they think is important and you have a better chance of focusing on what your professor is looking for.
*Persevere The one characteristic that will serve you the best is perseverance. Teachers respect that quality as it reflects a strong inner core, an authentic resource.
* Develop study skillsets
* Be flexible so that you can adapt to the different personalities of professors and the requirements of your varied courses.
* Never give up! If you hit a roadblock in your studies or some research you can’t find, keep looking.
Promote In the end, be your own best cheerleader. Override the inner critic, with a positive and successful inner dialogue.
* Network through personal introductions, email, and social media such as LinkedIn and Facebook.
* Keep a record of your successful high school and college accomplishments.
* Stay open to new relationships; you never know where a new contact can lead.
* Introduce yourself and make yourself useful to your professors. A good mentor can help you in a myriad of ways, not only through advice but also those important letters that may recommend you for a higher degree or future job.
* No risk, no reward!
Sometimes you have to leap without a net, take a chance on social connections, but remember what you put on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other social media outlets can be viewed later on by an employer.
* Look for internships, part-time jobs, and dress for success.
The first critique anyone makes of you is the first experience with how you look. In a sense, a professor or an employer sees your dress as a reflection of your self-esteem, your maturity, and your authenticity.
* Dare to be different, dare to be yourself.
Only the outcast can lead! There is a disturbing pattern developing in our college culture which punishes dissenting opinions.
Be focused, and have discipline.
Be alert, stay alert, and stay on task.
* Keep a calendar Make sure that you’re on time for appointments, and pay attention to that structured word budget.
* Remember to stay balanced and to incorporate healthy habits such as getting the right foods to eat, and getting enough exercise and sleep.
(Excerpt from “Preparing for College”)