- Am I really doing enough?
Spend less time watching Netflix, especially during daylight hours, and put more effort into helping others, networking with adults, and engaging in new experiences. You’ll never know how these outreach activities could enhance your life…by building self-esteem, meeting people who can help you in achieving your goals or getting exposure to a potential career or field of study. Ask your #BusinessTeacher if there are available opportunities for work-study, internships or community service.
- What do I have to give?
Learn enough about yourself to know your strengths and talents. Each of us comes with natural gifts and the best investment is to develop them to the fullest so you can become an expert in your field. Use the results of personality tests to discover whether your gifts include deductive reasoning, leadership and interpersonal skills, entrepreneurship, technical aptitudes or creative inspirations. And, if you don’t know what the heck I am talking about, then it’s time to learn how these terms apply to you in the global economy. If your school subscribes to Naviance, the Career Interest Profiler will give you the results you need to get started.
- Do I respect my Learning Style?
We all receive information and learn through our eyes, ears, and body, but each of us has a preferred style. Vark-Learn.com offers an online questionnaire which identifies your most efficient method. No matter which way a teacher or professor teaches, you should always adapt the information to your preferred style of learning. This will allow you to retain and apply the lesson easier, faster and with better recall and test-taking results. Complete their assessment, consider the results, and follow the recommended strategies to achieve success.
(www.vark-learn.com)
- Is social media advertising my skeletons in the closet?
Be mindful of photos and texts that you post on the Internet. The Internet is forever. We all know a friend, or ten, whose reputation was undone by something stupid (or illegal) that was captured in pixels. A quick Google search of your name and town can give you an indication of what’s out there, but it will never show what’s already been stored on someone’s (or everyone’s) Camera Roll or hard drive.
- Is senior year a cake-walk or am I up for a challenge?
Even though you worked really hard last year, it’s not time to sit back, yet, and it won’t be for a long time…sorry. I know you feel that you deserve a rest and that you want to reduce your course-load, leave school early and take easy classes, but you can’t. And, you shouldn’t because colleges look at your senior year course schedule really carefully as an indicator of your desire to learn. Remember, you are selling yourself (not literally) to the Admissions Committee as a life-long learner with huge potential and taking the easy-way-out senior year may red flag a lack of commitment and maturity.
Trish Portnoy is a blogger, writer, app developer and high school teacher who helps high school students and their parents research colleges, understand their options, and make choices using resources from the Internet, guidance counselors and other helpful people.
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