5 New Year's Resolutions For High School Students

Are you a high school student? If so, you will have at least one teacher that encourages you to make a New Year's resolution. Although your teacher will likely provide you with a few sample resolutions, you may be wondering which one is best for you. Continue reading on for a few New Year's resolutions that are perfect for high school students like you.

1 - Get Good Grades

Good grades are important for high school students. If you want to attend college, it is your grades that will help you get there. Not only should you strive to pass all your classes, but pass with flying colors. If you are a C student, aim higher. You can do so by asking for extra credit projects, doing all your homework, and studying for tests.

2 - Volunteer

As previously stated, good grades are important for college bound students. Although grades are important, you need something that will set your college application apart from the rest. Volunteer work will do that. If you don't already volunteer, make it your New Year's resolution to do so.

Volunteer work comes in a number of different formats. To see the best success, opt for two different types of work. Volunteer for something important and meaningful, such as hospital work. Then, volunteer for something you find fun and exciting, like walking dogs at your local animal shelter.

Volunteer work not only looks good on college applications, but scholarship applications too.

3 - Join a Club

In addition to good grades and volunteer work, extra curricular activities look good on college and scholarship applications. Are you involved in sports, clubs, or other school sponsored organizations? If not, now is the time to get started. Make it your New Year's resolution to get more involved with your school.

In terms of extra curricular activities, just about anything looks good. For that reason, choose something that interests you. Do you enjoy writing or taking pictures? Join the school newspaper staff. Do you have strong views about drunk driving or drug use? If so, join your school's Students Against Destructive Decisions (S.A.D.D) chapter.

4 - Apply for Scholarships

Unfortunately, many high school students wait too long to apply for scholarships. Most mistakenly believe you cannot apply for scholarships until your senior year of high school. Yes, some scholarship programs do target seniors only, but many scholarship contests and competitions are for sophomores and juniors. So, don't wait and don't assume your parents will pay for college.

As previously stated, good grades, extra curricular activities, and volunteer work looks amazing on scholarship applications. If you do not have any of these to add to your application, start making the change now. It is never too late to improve your chances of receiving financial assistance for college.

5 - Research Colleges

As with scholarships, many high school students wait until their senior year to think about college. This is not something you want to do. There are thousands of colleges and universities in the United States to choose from. Although you must wait to apply, there is no harm in doing research first. If you are a junior in high school, this should be your New Year's resolution. By the end of the school year, you should not only know what colleges you want to apply to, but also have those college applications in your hand.