Congratulations—you’ve made it to your freshman year of high school! The next four years are going to be both exciting and challenging as you discover who you are and what you want your life to look like in college and beyond. Freshman year serves as the perfect opportunity to get yourself off on the right foot, and we’ve rounded up some tips you can use to set yourself up for success:
Invest in a daily planner.
One of the best ways to ensure success early on is to get yourself a daily planner. You’ll be able to keep track of all your assignments and tests, as well as any events or meetings. This will help you establish good time management habits and keep you organized as you navigate balancing a more rigorous course schedule with a social life. There are plenty of apps you can use to keep track of your schedule, including Pocket Schedule Planner. In this app, you can track all of your courses, assignments, and exams in one place, making it even easier to be organized!
Go easy on yourself.
Going from middle school to high school is a big transition and it can feel a bit daunting at first. Luckily, no one is expecting you to know everything right off the bat! Give yourself a little bit of time to get situated and find your groove so you can be successful both in and out of the classroom. At ASU Prep Digital, new students are paired with a Learning Success Coach who will assist them in not only creating a schedule that works for them, but also establishing a personalized work environment that will enable them to succeed. You can learn more about the role of an LSC here.
Develop SMART goals
You’ve probably been told to set goals for yourself before, but have you heard of SMART goals? SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time-based. For example, instead of saying that one of your goals is to study more, you would make that a SMART goal by saying you will study every Tuesday and Thursday night for thirty minutes leading up to a test. Developing SMART goals will help you stay more focused and feel more accomplished, keeping you on track to succeed. But in order for these SMART goals to be effective, you also have to find ways to hold yourself accountable. Sharing your goals with your parent or Learning Success Coach is a great way to not only involve them in the process, but also have someone to check in with on a regular basis who will be able to steer you in the right direction if you’re having trouble.
Explore clubs
While it’s likely that you’ll make friends in your classes, you should also consider joining a club your freshman year. This is a great way to meet people who have similar interests and get involved in your school, giving you a stronger sense of community as you settle in for the next four years. Check out some of our favorite extracurricular activities for online learners here.
