Congratulations!  You survived your first semester in high school!  But before you can even celebrate, you’re already knee-deep in second semester.  Before you get neck-deep, there are three things you should be doing while you’re a freshman.

First, make sure you review your first semester.  What are some of the things you are proud of?  What did not go as well as you had hoped?  What are your goals, then, for the second semester?  Learning from your past semester and setting realistic goals for the next is a great way to transition to the next semester.

Second, make sure that you explore some clubs, activities, sports, and volunteering opportunities.  If it interests you, try it out.  Freshman and part of Sophomore years are the times for you to try out new things beyond your normal comfort levels.  This is one of the ways you can narrow down your interests, so you can delve deeper into them later on, as well as seeking leadership opportunities.

Lastly, and most importantly, make sure you develop great study skills and habits.  Believe it or not, an effective study skill can (and should) be learned.  A person with consistent, thoughtful study skills and habits will eventually do better than someone who is “just smart,” especially later when school subjects become more and more difficult.  It’s not enough to merely “try harder” (like how most diet plans fail), but you must also study smarter and more effectively.

We have developed foundational study skills lessons that you can use to cruise through your high school years, as well as having great foundations for college.  We focus on learning how to learn by yourself, based on these foundational skills:  note taking, time management, and organization skills.