Another important aspect of this first year is academic goal setting

• The decisions you make this year and the grades you get in your classes will set the tone (and establish the possible range your GPA can take) for the rest of your high school career.
• Make sure you are selecting your high school courses based on the following criteria:
• Your long term educational goals (do you want to complete advanced placement work? How many years of math do you want to take? Do you think you might want to take a course later on that requires any pre-requisite coursework? Make sure you are allowing yourself enough time to fill those pre-requisites).
  • NOTE: The SAT math section includes problems that involve concepts covered in algebra 2 and trigonometry! Make sure you are on track to finish algebra 2 by junior year!
  • Check out at least 2 to 3 college websites and look at what their minimum admissions requirements are (often times they will require more coursework-usually an extra year or two of foreign language-above and beyond the minimum requirements for graduation at your high school).
• State requirements for graduation (your high school counselor should know this and help you make appropriate decisions about course selection).
• Ohio Education Department diploma requirements
  • English language arts: four units
  • Health: one-half unit
  • Mathematics: three units
  • Physical education: one-half unit
  • Science: three units
    - One of the three units must be biology, another must be a physical science
  • Social studies: three units
    -- One of the ½ units must be American history, another one of the ½ units must be American government
  • Electives: 7 units
    -- One unit or two half units must include a course in business/technology, fine arts, or foreign language (most colleges expect two years of the SAME foreign language)
• What is going to be right for you, and where you want to go?
  • Don’t assume your counselor will design the best schedule for you.
    • Stick up for yourself, but do it respectfully. If you feel your counselor is not putting you in the right level courses, honors or regular, be assertive!
  • Be active and engaged in your class selection process by talking to your parents and teachers as well as your counselor.
  • Don’t look for the easiest courses or what your friends are going to do (unless they are making smart decisions that will foster their success).

  Make sure to enroll in at least one honors class

• Note: it is much easier to drop down from honors level classes to regular level classes than to try to move up from regular classes to honors classes!
  • Starting in honors classes is a good idea because if you find them too hard, you can easily request to drop down to regular classes.
  • However, if you start the school year in regular level classes and want to move up to honors classes, you may find that it’s much harder! If the school year has already started, people may question your capabilities and the decision you are making because you would have to catch up on missed work in a new class.
• But don’t overload! Be smart about allowing yourself enough time to get your work done .
  • It’s ok to take one easier class if doing so will help you balance honors classes and extracurricular activities or a job, but don’t sell yourself short.
  • Also make sure that taking an “easier” class won’t make it more difficult to take harder classes/honors classes in the future. Ask your counselor what s/he thinks about this.
• Try enrolling in AT LEAST one honors class in your strongest subject area, this will make the class easier for you and more enjoyable!
• Your success is also more likely if you are excited about your course work.

  Absences matter! Go to class! Even if you don’t have the reading or the homework done, it’s really important not to cut your classes.

• Sometimes you have to miss class because you’re really sick or you need to attend a family event. Make sure that,
  • At the beginning of the year you get the name and phone number of at least two other students in each of your classes. Make sure they’re highly organized students who take good notes.
  • If you are absent, later that same day, call one or both of these students to get notes, learn what was discussed in class, and find out what the homework assignment is so that you can do it and stay on top of your work.
• Remember that most schools have an attendance policy and if you miss a certain number of classes (whether the absences are excused or not), you may not receive credit for that course!
  • If you miss more than the maximum number of classes allowed, you may have to go through a lengthy appeals process to receive credit
  • Make sure you read carefully (and are informed about) your school’s attendance policy!
• If you miss class, you will just have to spend extra time outside of school, ON YOUR OWN, going over the reading, trying to understand the material. So, go to class.

  Get involved! Get into extra curricular activities: