9th Grade: Foundation for the Future
When one is 14 or 15, four years of high school often seems like such a long time. Some
students believe that it's only my junior and senior years that really matter to colleges
and employers. That misperception often causes students problems when they begin to search
for colleges that they may wish to attend. Here are some reasons why the freshman year is
a very important time.
- What you achieve academically in grade 9 directly determines the types of courses a
student can take in the future. Countless colleges and universities have told us that the
single most important factor when deciding what students to accept is a transcript that
reflects increasing levels of academic challenge during all four years of high school.
Those students demonstrate that they are committed to working hard to achieve their goals
and are capable of doing college-level work.
- Students begin to explore worthwhile extracurricular activities. This indicates that
students have a wide variety of interests and are also able to manage the time devoted to
study and developing other interests and skills.
- Time management and study skills are put to the test and must be employed. Expectations
for performance increase between middle and high school requiring students to use their
time wisely.
- Social skills are further developed by working together with peers and adults. There are
many opportunities for students to work with others to accomplish a task both in class and
in extracurricular activities.
- Opportunities to exert and demonstrate independence are balanced with increased
responsibilities. High school provides students with ample opportunities to make decisions
that will directly impact their performance. How one handles that freedom is critical to
success.
- The entire freshman year is a building block for the future. Starting off on the
"right foot" makes life easier and opens doors to more options and
opportunities.
The one thing over which we have absolute control, is our individual response
to any situation - I choose to....
