How to be Successful in High School

think we’ve all been there: we want to do well in high school, have the best extracurriculars, and get into the best college.

However, as we all approach our final years in high school, we look back and we realize that our accomplishments might not feel big enough. We’re still unsure of whether or not we will get accepted into Harvard, Princeton, or Stanford.

How Do I Get Into a Good College?

For me, this was a confusing experience. I wanted to be successful in high school.

My effort was definitely there: I put my entire effort into the college application process, even as a freshman.

I studied hard, never procrastinated, and did well in sports and clubs.

However, it still felt like other people were doing better, and as a result, were better off than me. How was that possible? I felt like I was trying harder than them, so why wasn’t I getting better results?

This is a common misconception for success, one that many high schoolers fall into. We are taught from a young age that success comes from hard work: if we work hard, the results will pay off.

This definitely has basis: nobody can succeed without trying at all. However, this remains a misconception because effort is useless without direction. To be successful in high school, you need direction.

Direction means concentrated effort, concentrated willpower into a certain subject. Spreading your effort out in multiple subjects, or even in wrong subjects, will reduce the effectiveness of your effort. In other words, you won’t be as successful.

How Should I Do Well in School?

In my case, I was too focused on earning top grades. Throughout high school, I maintained a 4.0 unweighted GPA, and made sure to receive 95 percent in every class and subject area.

Because of this, I spent most of my time studying for chemistry or history, instead of working on other important aspects of my resume, such as extracurriculars. I didn’t point my effort in the right direction.

To be successful in high school, you need to determine where to focus your energy.

In my case, a better use of direction and effort would be to study a bit less in school and instead focus on other key areas of my resume, such as extracurriculars, college essay writing, or the SAT.

How Can I be Happy or Successful as an Adult?

Beyond the college application process, this concept still rings true.

Reaching a goal and becoming successful require you to put in the effort, as well as to have the correct direction.

Whether you want to become rich and famous or to live a happy, healthy life, you have to put in the effort.

Of course, we all know this, but we also have to realize that we must follow the correct steps and aim our effort in the right direction.