How Students Set Themselves Up to Succeed in College - Education Essay Example

College is the ultimate dream of many a high school student. College life is an essential stage of a student's life, and so students should be adequately prepared before and during their time in college. It is while away at school that many students find themselves out there in the real world- there is no mum and dad anymore to make decisions for them. At college that students get to find out what they are made of, their strengths, weaknesses and their influence over other students or ability to be influenced to that effect.

Preparation is the name of the game. Before joining college, a student has to do adequate research on the colleges he or she would wish to participate. Variables such as location, school fees, scholarship programs and ease of accommodation should be considered accordingly. When it comes to academics, the student's primary concern is the courses available at the college. The courses on offer should contain those desired by the student. The principal reason for joining the college for anybody is to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to be self-sufficient and productive in life. Hence, while in high school students should be focused on their academics. Their GPA scores should be above average. In that regard, high school seniors should have goals and targets in their academic goals.

School life both in high school and college is not all about classwork and homework. There are extra-curricular activities such as Sports, Music, and Drama which can be a ticket for students to mouthwatering scholarship deals. Hence, if a student has a particular talent in high school, he or she can nurture the talent and pursue it in college. College Football and College Basketball are among the sports which scout for talented students in various American high schools and offer full scholarship a year or two even before they get a high school diploma. American Football, Basketball, Baseball and Ice Hockey are multi-million dollar industries, and the scouts do their homework very well in identifying young talent. Talented students in High School are usually approached before even joining their senior and final year and offered deals such as full scholarship and a monthly allowance. Students who nurture their talent and keep doing their thing once they get college admission usually succeed in life. Notable examples are LeBron James who plays NBA basketball for the Cavaliers and Tom Brady who was discovered in high school, broke out in college and are now earning millions per year.

College is an excellent place to meet people from all sorts of background, from all the corners of the country and even the whole world. In college, students get the opportunity to form their networks which will prove to be useful as life goes by. Socialization is thus a critical aspect of a student's preparation for college life. Students should learn to be assertive in their opinions while being understanding of other peoples views. They should know how to sell their pitch for there might come a time when the student has to convince somebody to listen to their ideas, business pitch and so on. One such manner is being a member of a notable club such as Wildlife Club, Debate Club, Economics Club, and Technology Club and so on. Starting from high school students can participate in contests such as Science Congress. There are many other ways students can prepare themselves for college life such as starting to save early, being active in community service and getting internships.