News Taffy

This week’s post is not so much about being frugal, but being smart about your future. Generally I write for people starting college soon or that are already in college, but today I would like to talk to those of you still in high school. You have time to prepare, but you also have time to mess things up. Which will you choose?

This week, I’ve received several emails regarding scholarships. They all have the line “we regret to inform you…” somewhere in them and I’ve received this every year since my last semester of high school. This is because, I made the mistake of not taking my Junior year seriously.

Your Junior year of high school is no doubt the hardest year you will take in school. It’s just a matter of the amount of information you are supposed to learn in a short period of time on top of getting ready for your Senior year. ACTs and SATs thrown into the mix of an already stressful academic to-do list can often times make matters worse. So here is my advice:

• Don’t get distracted with anything. Don’t let girlfriends/boyfriends, sports, band, clubs, jobs or life distract you from what you need to be preparing for. I’m not saying to give up everything and focus on school, but if you are looking to actually go to college and actually learn something, you might want to remove some of these distractions or limit your time for them. Just organize yourself. Set aside time after school to do your work and studying. If you finish it then, you can go spend time doing whatever you would like.

• Apply yourself. Put an effort into what you are being taught. You legally have to be in class so you might as well learn something while you are there. Once you learn it, figure out its relevance and stick it somewhere in your brain until you need it again. Contrary to what you may have been taught, you probably will use algebra in the future. Generally it’s called the “Math Portion,” and if you actually paid attention in class, you’ll get a much higher score on said “Math Portion” and won’t have to take your ACT/SAT thirty times.

• Now that you’re thinking of the ACT/SAT, take advantage of prep courses. Yes, they’re offered at night. Yes, they take several hours. No, it usually doesn’t cost anything. No, you don’t have to bring your own pencils. Yes, you really should go. You want to make the best score you can on this test so take it seriously. Learn strategies for taking the test. If you make a bad score, keep trying; though, if you get distracted your Junior year and don’t apply yourself you might end up taking the ACT and get a 19 all three times you take it. Not fun considering that’s the base acceptance for most universities. Tip: On the Science portion, try reading the question and answers BEFORE you stare at the graphs and data for five minutes. This will save you time and a headache.

The last thing I would really like to point out, to the parents reading, is that some kids really aren’t meant for college-- this being university life. Some kids are better suited for community college to get their bearings of what they would like to pursue. They’ll still be able to get the same scholarships, but some kids are only looking to go to a university to get the college experience and for how much it costs to go, that’s not fair to those paying out of pocket or you if they didn’t receive scholarships. You don’t want to deny your child the opportunity to get an education, but with a local community college, your kid gets a chance to get all of their basics out of the way and an associate’s degree that they can then transfer to a four year institution if they wish to do so. If they’re lucky, some community colleges will work with nearby universities allowing students to get a bachelor’s degree without leaving their hometown.

So with all of this said, to the parents, you get as much say in your child’s education as they do, if not more. Listen for their interests-- what they say they want to do when they get older. Do they change their mind pretty often when it comes to future goals? Also, do you really know what they’re doing when you aren’t around? If you are concerned about this, then sending them off somewhere right out of high school is probably not the best idea. Not all kids are bad—but some are allowed to get away with a lot more than they should and that won’t fly in college.

Now to all of you in high school, take your Junior year seriously. Any year of school should be taken seriously, but if you blow off this year you can expect to be denied from several scholarships and college will be a not-so-enjoyable experience. If I would have applied myself my Junior year of high school, I would not be living the lifestyles of the broke and collegiate these days. But then again, you wouldn’t have someone sitting here telling you to put forth the effort. The first step to making your parents think you deserve to go to a four year school is being responsible for your education early on. If you take high school seriously, you won’t have trouble in the future.

I’ll step down from my soapbox now.

(If I’m still around when you get here) I’ll see ya around campus!
- Beth