Senior year is all about preparing for your future. You have to make some difficult decisions that you may not be ready to make. Having a class dedicated to giving all the resources and help to make those decisions a little easier is a huge advantage. The whole semester was dedicated to giving us information and tips on many different topics. During my time in the High School 2 Life class I learned multiple things about college, employment and was able to complete and have the full senior project experience.
When preparing to go to college there are so many different factors that go into it but to start I had to think about my academic preparation. I have learned that taking concurrent credits while in high school is a huge tool. It helped me get a feel on how college lessons and grading works. Another really good idea is to actually care about your grades.
One of the factors to getting into college is going to be your GPA and test scores, so if I didn’t take high school seriously, it could have jeopardized my chances in getting into the college I wish to go to, Once it did come time to start making the decision on which school I want to attend there were a few things to take into consideration. For me personally, some of those factors include location, tuition costs and if the degree was even offered there. To look to see what schools were in my parameters I simply went to their websites and explored.
Some schools had a separate section with all the needed information, but others I had to look around a bit, but they had all the information I was looking for. In the end I decided that to start my education I wanted to go to CWI and then later on transfer to a bigger school. Next I looked into how to apply and what was needed in order to apply. In order to go to college, the key steps you must do are to apply and get accepted. To do this I went to my desired schools, CWI, website and looked into how to apply. For CWI all I had to do was submit an online application, pay the application fee, and send my transcripts and SAT scores.
Once I was completed with that, I just waited to hear back and then I got a letter in the mail stating that I was accepted. Now I know that not all schools application process is like this but for the school I want to attend that was all that needed to be done. In addition to this I also took some financial opportunities, during the HS2L class I applied to 20-25 different scholarships in hope to receive some financial support. I also when available I plan on filling out and submitting my FAFSA information for some more financial support.
I am aware that with all these opportunities there is still a chance to have financial burdens in college. I could have trouble paying for all the tuition or all the materials needed for my classes. Also if I need housing I will need to figure out how to pay for that and all my daily necessities. My plan for that is to have a part-time during school. Having a part-time job will help me provide me for my daily necessities. As of right now I am not sure where and what hours I will work but I am sure that I will find a job. Even though having a job will be necessary and important I do know that keeping my grades up is also very important.
When it comes to academics there are multiple different strategies that people use while some don’t use any at all. For me, I have come to the conclusion that self-governance will be the best option for me. Self-governance is defined as self-control; taking accountability and responsibility for your choices and actions. Some key self-governance skills that will help me in college include: test taking strategies, how to study, setting goals, being on time and time management. Having these different skills will allow me to be less stressed and more successful in my college life.
The test taking strategies and how to study will help me with my school work and time management and being on time will help will not only class and homework but also everyday life. Setting goals will help me prioritize what I need to get done and help me get through any setbacks I may face. These skills will also be very beneficial when it comes to employment. In the last part of the High School 2 Life class we talked about the subject of employment. We spent a while on researching the proper way to apply to a job; including how to fill out an application, how to do a cover letter and different interview skills.
I come to find out that it is very important to know how to fill out an application the right way and know how to write up a resume because those two things can make or break your chances in getting the job. When writing your resume you want to use ? power words? in order to make yourself sound more appealing. Also your formatting of the resume has a bigger impact on the job than you might think. You want to make sure your resume is only one page, filled completely but not too cluttered and is always truthful to what you are capable of doing.
When filling out the application the most important thing to think about is to be honest. You do not want to imply that you can do something that you can not do. Next, to create a successful cover letter you want to make sure that your formatting is correct. Also you want to make it appoint that you are interested in the job and go into a little bit of detail on why you think you would be perfect for the job. Lastly, at the end of your cover letter you always want to ask for a interview and that you look forward to hearing from them. Once you do get the interview you want to prepare for it.
You want to look presentable, like you actually want the job. Also you can simply look up possible interview questions and practice your responses. All this knowledge about the application, resume, cover letter and interview will all help your chances in getting the job. These things will not guarantee you the job but it will definitely help. The whole senior project was personally a great experience. The positive thing about it would be that it helped me create a plan for after high school but the negative thing would be that it does take a good amount of time to complete.
I would definitely keep the class time that we were given to work on it and the packet that we received from our English teacher but I would maybe give more time to complete. Also i didn’t like that the presentation part fell on the week that I had like a ton of tests and presentations since it was the end of the semester. But overall I really enjoyed the experience and would tell future students to prioritize and make sure you make time to complete it so that you don’t have to worry about it at the end of the year. The High School 2 Life class is a huge plus for all seniors.
I think that they should continue to provide this class for all seniors because it was extremely beneficial for me. I really appreciated the time and resources that this class gave me in learning about college and employment. The only change or improvement that I would suggest would to make it a year long class. The students in the first semester get the time and resources for the senior project and college application week but we’ll miss out on the FAFSA time and resources. Other than that I really enjoyed the class and think that it helped me get closer to my future.
When faced with all these hard and life changing decisions it can get really overwhelming. But having a whole entire class dedicated to giving me the resources needed to make those decisions a little less stressful was a huge advantage. During my time in the High School 2 Life class I learned multiple things about college, employment and was able to complete and have the full senior project experience. The class proved to help me get closer to what I want my career to be and who I want to be in the future.
