What skill(s) should I most look to strengthen in high school that I need in order to be the most successful that I can be at university?

Hi Christian!

I think there are 3 main skills that you should strengthen that would be most beneficial for you and almost guarantee your success in college/university.
They are also just good skills to have in life period because they are crucial to any person's success even once they graduate from university.

The 3 most important skills are:

1) Time Management,
2) Good Study Habits, and
3) Self-Discipline.

After high school you will experience a type of freedom that you may not have experienced before.
You get the opportunity to decide what classes you'd like to take and decide what time you'd like to go each of them.
You also get to come and go as you please without being questioned by a parent or guardian.

For each of your classes, the first day you go to each class, you will receive a syllabus/itinerary that spells out what will happen for the entire duration of that particular class. The syllabus will include due dates of assignments, it will more than likely tell you when tests will take place, and it will give you the rules that the instructor and university have specified for that class. Also, you will find that although most of your professors will be helpful and provide assistance when you ask, they more than likely will not provide constant reminders of each and every thing that you need to do.

With that being the case, it's important to be disciplined and learn to do things on your own, without supervision or being prompted or reminded by anyone.

You should take the time now to figure out how you learn best and fastest. For example- Do you learn better by having hands-on experience, or do you soak up information better by seeing or hearing, or is it best for you to have a combination of approaches? You should figure those out and use them now, and once you get to university, use those same exact techniques. At university, the classes move much quicker because all of the information is packed into 3 to 4 months, whereas when you are in high school, you get a whole school year (about 9 months) to learn the same amount of information. Can you see why you need to figure out how to learn faster? It's SO crucial.

Also, because you have more freedom, and because university introduces you to many more people and opens up a different kind of social life than what you will experience in high school, you will find that you can be easily distracted. In order to not be too distracted, it's important to stick to your schedules regarding when you will go to class, when you will study and when you will relax and enjoy friends. Relaxing every now and then and having a little downtime is just as important as studying and going to class because it gives your brain a chance to rest and take a break and soak up information; however, it's important to make classes and studying a priority so that you don't fall behind. Once you fall behind in university classes, it becomes really tough to catch up because the classes move so fast and you get a lot of information at once.

Hope this helps!

Good luck! Wishing you the best!

Hi there -

Wow - I wish I had asked such a question when I was a sophomore in high school. If I were to go back in time, the one skill I wish I had really understood more was money management (e.g., budgeting). This is such a fundamental concept that follows you through life, and whether you earn a lot of money or just some, if you do not have strong money management skills, you may learn this the hard way. This skill is handy regardless what career you pursue, and the sooner you master the fundamentals, the better! The funny story I can share is that I went to a 4 year college and majored in Accounting! So with that degree, one would think I would know how to manage money. The reality is that as you find your independence, sometimes you make poor decisions. I found myself repeatedly in and out of debt through my twenties until one day I started budgeting and really paying attention to money earned, where my money went and working on savings. I am in a good place now, but I see so many around me struggle in life that may have been prevented with embracing this skill.

The other thought for you is that if it's an option, you can try to take courses in high school that will get you college credit. This saves both time and money, so something to consider.

Sounds like you are on a strong path - best of luck!

Hi Christian!

Here is some helpful information to prepare for the transition to college:
http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/slideshows/10-ways-to-prepare-for-your-freshman-year-of-college
http://www.collegeprep101.com/

Best of luck! I would like to follow your progress! Please keep me posted.,