10 Real Tips From a High School Salutatorian

1. Manage Your Time Wisely.

This is one of the quickest things you should learn for succeeding in high school. If this was a class, it would be Prioritize 101. I knew of so many students who'd complain about all the work they had to do, but then never did it because they wanted to joke around all the time (or were complaining too much to do what they needed to do). DO NOT be that person! There’s a time to work and a time to play; your education is like a job, so the work comes first.

Also, a sub-tip: You can make time for what you want to do. If you can spend four hours on Instagram, YouTube, or Fortnite, you can schedule thirty minutes to study, do homework, and more. We'll discuss the more point later in the article.

2. Figure Out Your Academic Personality.

Some people are planners. Others are procrastinators. Some start with multiple choice on the test, and others start with that essay on the back. I knew a student from middle school who always started her mazes from the end and worked back to start.

It’ll be in your best interest to experiment with different styles of student work, especially in areas like those below:

• Study habits
• Test taking habits
• Learning styles
• Your role on a team
• Organization habits

Even if you have to take a online test, figure out what’s best for you. You do have time to experiment, especially freshmen and sophomore year, but there will be a time when you must know your school self in order to succeed.

3. Develop Good Relationships With Your Teachers.

Teachers are human, kiddos. They have lives and jobs that should be respected. You’ll be on their good side if you pay attention to their lessons, work hard on every assignment, and be the best student you can be. You’ll may be on their great side if you take the time to talk to them. Most teachers love conversation with their students, whether it be a continuation of class discussion or a celebration of a favorite artist. If you appropriately show you appreciate them, they will appreciate you, too.

4. B's or lower are not the end of the world.

Hello to my all-A perfectionists out there! But yes, if you're the type of student like me to take all the advanced courses available at your school (from Honors to AP to Dual Enrollment), there will most likely be the day where you'll receive your first B on a test.

Don't freak out. For one, you can still make a great A in most classes (depending on the teacher), even with a B or even C on a test. Even more so on homework assignments. In some rare advances courses, you’ll be on your knees praising the Lord if you barely passed! So know that if you do make a “bad” grade, you will live, and maybe even improve it in time if you’re dedicated.(See Tip 7 if B's really bother you.)

5. Remember Your Limits.

You are not perfect. You can’t do everything in the world. And that’s perfectly fine! Knowing your limits helps you find the things you excel in. Your talents. Then, you take those talents and cultivate them.

6. Get involved.

What's the best way to cultivate your talents. By getting involved! This is the more I was alluding to! Band, Choir, Athletics, Yearbook, Robotics, Writing Clubs, Fall Sports, Spring Sports, Art, Volunteering, Student Government. There are many clubs, organizations, and extracurricular activities to try, explore, and grow in these aforementioned skills. Many you can be in simultaneously like National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, and Spanish National Honor Society (which you typically earn membership in by academic achievement); and the more activities you join and participate in, the more cords you can flaunt off at graduation come senior year.

It's not all about the cords, though. A lot of extracurricular activities provide you with life lessons, reliable mentors, great friends, and a family at the end of your high school journey. If you are talented and dedicated, scholarship opportunities may be waiting around the corner for you. You probably read this on many other articles, but it reigns true. Colleges, especially the top schools, are impressed with a student who's well-rounded in academics, volunteering, and extracurricular stuff. If you can stay active in clubs (maybe earn a leadership position or two) while keeping your grades up, you'll be succeeding far more in high school than the norm.

By the way, your personal limitations also apply to the clubs, organizations, and extracurricular activities you do. Prioritize 103: choose what’s most important if you can’t do all you want to do, and let the others clubs be. A lot of energy devoted into a few clubs is better than little energy spent into many.

7. Ask for Help.

There are some things you must do on your own, and you must have self-reliance to overcome those trials. But especially with school, if you are struggling, ask for help. Your teachers are willing. Some classmates are willing. Tutors are willing (with money, but still). Getting over your pride/fears and asking for help shows maturity, a desire to succeed, and substantial improvement if you are willing to put in the effort.

This is a skill I had struggled with in high school, but I later asked for help for help on this skill to succeed in it. (Ask-ception, if you ask me!). Master this tip, and people will acknowledge your perseverance sooner or later.

8. Know the Difference Between Friends & Acquaintances.

If you want to stay relatively clear of the typical high school drama, heed these words. You should have plenty of acquaintances and a close-knit group of friends.

Gasp. Does that mean I should be an unpopular recluse in high school?

No. Having only a few friends is not like being the Basket Case from The Breakfast Club. And acquaintances are not bad at all! You can still love and laugh and share experiences with them, but a true friend is one you rely on, share secrets with, etc., like a brother or sister. If everyone is your super-ultra-bestest friend for life, evaluate that mindset and try again.

9. Plan for the future, especially major testing.

A tiny disclaimer contrary to popular belief, you do not have to know everything about what you want to be when you grow up. In fact, most high schools do not present a great opportunity for you to choose an future occupation when you work a little in six-to-eight different subjects a day. However, you can still plan for major decisions down the road such as college-readiness testing, choice of university, scholarships, etc.

9a. Do not sleep on the ACT/SAT/PSAT! Perhaps one of the biggest mistakes most students make is procrastinating on this exam until their busy senior year. Take it as early as you can, preferably starting your sophomore year, and as many times as desired, for it counts for a huge chunk of the decision for many merit-based scholarships (along with GPA and essays). (I took the ACT four times an managed to get a 30 my last time.)

Study all the Prep you can, to which there are many sites you can use, including PrepScholar, Khan Academy (recommended for specific Math topics), and the ACT and College Board websites. For those in Advanced-Placements courses, some of these websites also have prep for those exams in May as well.

10. Keep Moving Forward/Stay Positive.

This is perhaps my most important tip, for my idea of positivity stems from two similar fronts. One, complaining does very little, so instead, convene together with friends, students, teachers, etc., and make a plan to change something. If it can’t be changed, accept it and move on to greater things. Enjoy the fun things and do not dwell on the bad things. Yada, yada, yada. It's sappy stuff you've heard that is also super true in order to succeed in not only high school, but life.

But maybe life can't be happy at the moment. It happens, especially in this modern society of violence, drama, and mistrust. The best definition of positivity I learned comes from a band leadership conference I attended the summer of my junior year. The main speaker of the event, Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser, told me that positivity is not just happiness, but it is the ability to move forward. To persevere, even if hope seems nonexistent.

The idea of moving forward despite your happiness, or lack thereof, pushed me well enough to master the tips above and rank second academically in my class. Remember Disney's Meet the Robinsons if you have to but if you kept moving forward instead of giving up, you can find not only happiness, but unwavering joy no one could ever take from you or your high school experience. In other words, persevere.