By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed.
I know I sound like a teaching mom here, but high school is one of the most critical times in our lives. So much can happen in those four years – good and bad – that can impact the direction we take for our future. Spectacular? Maybe. Facts? In effect.
Because high school is so short and so important, it has to be done right. Of course, everyone’s high school experience will be different based on the billions of factors that make us all different, but every student should still avoid the following common high school mistakes. Believe me: the rest of your life could depend on it. (Yeah, that one is dramatic.)
Top 5 high school mistakes
1. Underestimating how long things take.
Freshmen in high school are often shocked at the difference between middle school and ninth grade. There is more work, less support and less time to do everything. A huge mistake that impacts mental health and the grades are do not enter how long things have to be done. Homework takes time. Reading takes time. Study for the tests takes time. And chances are that these tasks will take much longer than we estimate. High school students to have to realizing how much time they have in their daily schedule and how long it will take to complete assignments; if the numbers don’t match, there is a problem.
2. Ignore curriculum planning.
Students heading to college with competitive academic goals can’t skip curriculum planning – from ninth grade. Marie Lucca, BA, MTS, JD, President of Council of the Crimson College, advises that “students are sometimes surprised in their senior year when they realize that their dream college requires four years of a foreign language and they have only taken two AP courses, or 6- 8 AP courses when they only took one”. Lucca, a Harvard grad with years of experience in the college admissions business, also warns that “sometimes school districts will place a freshman in a particular class, which will have ramifications for students. next four years. For example, if a 9th grade student is placed in a lower-level math class, it may be impossible for that student to take calculus classes during the senior year, a course that many engineering programs and some universities like to see on a transcript. In other words, students must reverse engineer their curriculum, starting from where they want to end up.
3. Not learning to study.
Studying is not reading, rereading, flipping through notes or flipping through pages of textbooks. Studying is NONE of those things, yet it’s how most high school kids are taught to “study.” Hence, this is the #3 common high school mistake.
Real studies should involve active remind and spaced repetition. If you don’t use these two study methods, you not studying. Hint: real studies are actually mentally uncomfortable. If you’re relaxing and feeling good, you’re not doing it right. here is my complete collection of all my study resources. Also, do you cheat sheets? You should be.
4. Worry about the rating, not the content.
Another common mistake in high school is worrying about the grade and not learning the thing taught. Of course the ‘A’s look great on the report card and make Grandma proud, and of course there are inexpensive ways to get an A on certain homework by making the system work – but believe it or Nope, learning the thing is easier in the long run. I want to shout it so loud: taking the time to LEARN and understand the material will ensure you pass all tests and assignments on this material. On the other hand, if you only care about getting an A on an assignment, you’re not learning the material and so you’ll be screwed for all future tests and assignments on that material. Shortcuts don’t work here, folks — not in high school.
5. Not understanding how FOCUS works.
The ability to concentrate is a rare skill in today’s world. We’re constantly interrupted by notifications, emergencies, and chemically motivated urges to check our phones. No wonder it is so difficult for students to read more than 90 seconds of Gatsby the magnificent before zoning. So what is the mistake that students make? Not understanding that FOCUS is a SKILL and all skills can be upgraded. We can improve our focus if we want to (you should) with progressive focus training. Without the ability to focus, we can’t do the things that matter. We can’t pay attention. We cannot tolerate boredom. We cannot write. We can’t read. We cannot learn.
If you are unable to maintain your attention in class or stay focused while reading and studying, you need to 1) start being self-aware enough to know you’ve lost focus, and 2) do something about it. Here are the two reasons most people can’t focus and what you can do about it.
If you have ADHD: Your brain’s attention centers are wired differently, making it difficult for you to determine who stimuli to focus on (because you notice so many things at once!). ADHD makes it harder to focus on the right things, but that just means you need to use the right strategies to get there.
Now that you know how to avoid these 5 high school mistakes, here are the top 5 school habits you should TO DO.