I’ve been an educator for forty years now, and for many of those years I’ve taught high school seniors, most of them bound for some sort of post-secondary education – community colleges, four year colleges and universities, technical training, and specialized career opportunities.  Now I write a blog for students and parents, www.DrRickBlog.com.  

On the last day of class before graduation, I’d give my seniors a little heartfelt talk, my well-honed last ditch attempt to send them out in the world with confidence, good sense, and purpose.  They were always eager to hear what I had to say.  They seemed to want direction at a scary time.  It was my way of saying, “Godspeed.”

Here, then, taken from some of my just-before-graduation-talks, are, first, some study skills and, next, some personal attributes that can’t hurt in post-secondary learning.  And beyond, actually.

1. Organize yourself.  Adults have been telling you this for years, and now you’re on your own.  Make sure you organize your schedule, providing ample time for studying, doing assignments, recreation, and personal time.  Keep a planner – either an electronic one or a written one – and make sure you keep to your own schedule.  Set up routines that provide you with the structure you’ll need.
2. Set goals.  Know what you’re aiming for.  Make some goals that stretch your capabilities, force you to improve skills and add to your knowledge.  Goals could be academic (learning a new field of study), social (improving the circle or quality of your friends), or personal (relationships).
3. Be responsible.  You’ve heard these suggestions before, but they’re even more important now that you’re on your own.  When you organize yourself and set goals, make sure you keep to the plan.  Hang out with friends who have your well-being in mind.  It’s not always easy suddenly to have lots of freedom, without parents and teachers setting restrictions and rules for you.  Now, it’s up to you.  Go to class.  Take good notes.  Review them.  Give yourself plenty of time to study for tests.  Concentrate.  Don’t try to multi-task when you’re studying something difficult.  It won’t work. 
4. Get help when you need it.  Everyone needs a little help now and then.  As soon as you suspect you’re having trouble in class, ask for help.  Ask your professor or teaching assistant.  Get a tutor.  Ask a friend who’s talented in the field of study.  Just get help.  The longer you put it off, the worse it will be.
5. Be positive.  These are good years, so enjoy them.  Just as you’ve planned and organized yourself for study, give yourself plenty of time for socializing and friendships.  Some of the friendships you make in college will be lifelong, one of life’s true blessings.  Select wisely, enjoy them now, and treasure them later.  Be respectful. Be a good friend.  Listen.
6. Take advantage of what we know about your age group.  No offense, but you’re not finished growing up.  Brain research tells us that adolescence can extend well into the twenties.  Making the switch from home to college can be difficult, so take advantage of any help that’s available to you.  Now’s the time to select a mentor, for example, a trusted, admired adult whose skills and talents you’d like to emulate.  Have someone you can talk to, study with, and learn from.
7. Volunteer.  Nothing helps you to learn new skills, to make you competent, and to increase your confidence more than teaching.  Volunteer to teach young kids, for example, to play softball or soccer, to sing or play guitar, to act in a play, to swim at the neighborhood pool, to improve their math or reading during the summer.  You’ll be the grown up and testing the waters while you’re still young.
8. Stay open to new and old experiences.  Your own personality is still developing.  Learn new skills, join interesting extracurricular groups, stretch your mind, your abilities, and your soul.  If you haven’t gone to church or temple for a while, go with some friends and see how the experience changes now that you’re on your own.
9. Stay grounded.  You’ve learned good values and attitudes from your parents, teachers, and other trusted adults.  Live up to those values while you’re searching for your own special relationship to them. 
10. Read.  Never stop reading.  Read for information to stay tuned to the world and your place in it.  Read others’ opinions and develop your own.  Read just for the pure literary pleasure.  Doesn’t matter if it’s a book or a Kindle, just read.  Your mind wants to keep growing.  Indulge it.

We get lots of questions from high school students and their parents about applying for college and university.  Students who have endured high level, challenging courses, rigorous term papers and science projects, had leadership positions on sports teams and extracurricular activities like orchestra, drama, and school newspapers, and kept their grades high still find themselves full of stress when it comes to getting ready for post-high school education.  Stress does not have to be a given.  Stay relaxed, focused, and surround yourself with good friends and family who will support you.  Then, of course, return the favor to them.  Now’s not the time to be a loner.

Here are five simple reminders that can help.  I’ve written about many of these suggestions before, so I’ve put hyperlinks in parentheses for you to read more if you’d like.

1.  Keep up your grades and studies.  Sounds simple, right?  By the end of high school, many seniors can lose steam, be tempted to drift toward the finish line, rest on their laurels.  Now’s not the time to do that.  Set your goals high.  Graduate with honors, make the principal’s list, even aim for an award or scholarship or two.  There’s nothing like going out with a bang!

2.  Keep yourself persistent, organized, and disciplined.  Regular readers of my blog will know that I swear by persistence (December 29, 2008), advocate for keeping yourself organized (September 9, 2008, and September 11, 2008), and preach the power of taking control of your life.  I’ve written about the advantage of having study buddies who can help motivate and support you and keep you sharp for tests and important projects (December 2, 2008).  Make sure your extra curricular activities are meaningful to you and your possible activities in college.  And most important, get help when you need it.  Take a test-prep course from a reliable provider, like Sylvan Learning, so you’ll be familiar with test-taking strategies and the experience itself (July 15, 2008, and July 17, 2008).  Balance your school and social life (November 4, 2008, and November 6, 2008).  Choose good friends to hang out with, friends who will understand and support your choices.

3.  Maintain your study skills.  Focus on organization, time-management, and test-taking (October 7, 2008, and October 9, 2008).  You’ll find these skills important in high school and vital in college.  Keep up your reading of fiction and non-fiction.  Stay curious about the world around you.  Indulge your interests, learn from them, and make connections to the wider world.  Life’s much more interesting when your work and your interests are the same.

4.  Use your summers wisely.  Save money for college expenses like food, books, tuition, housing, transportation, and, yes, fun.  Try to find a job that challenges you and has some relevance to your interests or studies.  Make even the most menial job a learning experience.  (Someday I’ll write about working in a psychiatric hospital with difficult adolescents when I was eighteen – the hardest thing I ever did and ultimately the best training I ever had for teaching.  I was able to survive anything after that!)

5.  Understand the college application process.  Involve your family.  Talk to your parents and other significant adults in your life, and explain why you chose a particular school.  It’ll be a good exercise for when you’re interviewing with an admissions dean.  Use the expertise of your school guidance counselor (February 2, 2009).  Know what tests you’ll need, what deadlines you’ll have to meet, the costs, and other requirements like letters of recommendation.  Do your “due diligence.”   Is the school’s curriculum appropriate for your needs, goals, and interests?  What about extracurriculars?  Sports?  Financial aid?  Scholarships and grants?  Does the school have the special programs you’re interested in (Study abroad, interesting internships, orROTC, for example)?

This sounds like a lot, I know, but if you start early, involve your friends, family, and school professionals in your choices, you’ll avoid the disadvantages of rushing and feeling alone at a time when you need all the support you can get.  There’s strength in numbers, remember.