Tigerway: How to be Successful in High School
Learn about what you can do to make high school worthwhile for your success
Note to Prospective Families:
Spots in 1:1 Coaching for SAT/ACT and High School Courses are becoming limited. Secure your edge in admissions by planning ahead with a dedicated roadmap session on how academic coaching, SATs, and college consulting can help you. If you have any quick questions, feel free to text our Program Officer Jasmine at 781-510-0738. Serious inquiries only.
Dear Tigerway Team Members, Parents, and Prospective Families,
This week we would like to congratulate Tigerway Mega Star Darren Mo for getting his early acceptance into UPENN! Darren thrived in high school with multiple leadership positions, a high SAT score (1500), and strong academics. Watch the video to see how Tigerway helped him stand out to an Ivy League school!
Darren’s experience in high school and Tigerway allowed him to shape his college application and learn effective study habits that would give him long-term skills for college and beyond. He kept an organized schedule and was very involved with his school community. Like Darren, we can all have the chance to be successful in high school.
High school is a life-turning chapter for students. It is a time for students to branch out and further explore their interests in and out of school. However, it can often be challenging and stressful for many students since classes become more difficult and college profiles begin to build. This journey you take to overcome these feelings and challenges will decide how successful you will be in high school. All that matters is having the right mindset and approach.
Remember that high school is a stepping stone toward your future. What you do in high school allows you to gain lifelong skills, experiences, and achievements that may set you apart from other students.
How can we make High School Worth it?
Identify clear academic goals for yourself that you would like to accomplish in high school. Whether it is earning good grades, doing a sport, or participating in the arts, having a goal will keep you focused and motivated. Make sure they are specific because you want to have steps on how to achieve them. (Don’t be afraid to ask how this goal can be done)
For me, my goal was to have good grades and to be as involved as possible. The high school experience was significant to me and I believed that having both academic and social balance was critical.
STAY ORGANIZED! I cannot stress this enough! Use agendas and calendars to help you keep track of assignment deadlines, exam dates, extracurricular meets, etc. High school can be overwhelming because of the multiple courses and clubs that you are taking. You can avoid being overwhelmed by staying organized.
In high school, I always had sticky notes and agendas to help me keep track of what I had during the week and what I needed to get done every day. Every time I finished a task, I would cross it out and move on to the next.
Take advantage of your resources and get good study habits. High school is the TIME to start building long-term study skills that will not only help you in college but also in LIFE. Make sure to set a time each day to study the material you have learned. Understand how to prepare for exams and always ask questions when confused.
I use a clipboard and lined paper when I study. I use a method called “active recall” where I would write down everything that I learned based on my memorization and underline what I didn’t remember. This method does not always work for everyone. But, it is best to use this time to figure out what works for you! In fact, I still have this study board today in college!
Seek extra help whenever you need it! Never be afraid to ask for extra help. This can vary from joining programs like Tigeway to help you improve your SAT score or staying after class for your core high school classes. You never know what else you can learn from seeking extra help.
Along with being a part of the Tiger way Team to help improve my SAT score, Tigerway forever helped me with my academics and life skills. In both school and Tigerway, I always actively asked questions. A good tip is to always stay after school 1-2 days before an exam because sometimes teachers can give you more insight on how to prepare. This leads me to my next tip…
Have good relationships with your teachers! Having good relationships with your teachers will give you the advantage of getting more help when you need it. This leads to better grades and support for college profiles, especially college recommendation letters.
Like I said in the previous tip, I would stay after school to have discussions with my teachers. This allowed me to not only gain more insight but also have the chance to stand out in my classes and school.
Stay in contact with your guidance counselor. They are always there to help you when you are struggling or looking for resources. You can plan your courses beforehand and formulate a pathway to help you get into your dream school or be ahead in your major of interest.
I made sure to contact my guidance counselor whenever I needed help planning my classes, looking into colleges, or searching for scholarships.
Get involved with extracurricular activities. Clubs allow you to explore your interests, develop new skills, and make new friends! This can be a sports team, a volunteering committee, a drama club, music, or anything. It will make you stand out to college admissions that you are well-rounded. In fact, you can gain new experiences and leadership positions through these clubs!
I was actively involved with the music department at my school and my high school soccer team. I became President of the Tri-M Honor Society my Junior year and was elected Co-Captain of my high school soccer team Senior year! These are experiences and skills that I portrayed on my college application!
Remember to give yourself breaks. Take care of your physical and mental health. Sometimes you can get carried away in your work and forget to breathe. You cannot give your best work if you are not your best self.
Make sure you eat every day, get enough sleep, and exercise regularly! Find something that will allow you to destress after school or on the weekends. Take it one step at a time!
Because of these factors, I was able to maintain a healthy academic and social balance. Keeping myself organized and actively involved opened my eyes to the support and resources I had around me. I was able to prioritize my school assignments and build a strong academic foundation because of my good connections with teachers that have forever positively impacted my life.
Success can be different for everyone. The key is to take it one step at a time, stay organized and focused, and never give up. Know who is there to support you and continue to motivate yourself with a positive attitude. By setting yourself up with this right mindset and approach you are giving yourself leverage for a bright future ahead of you.
Tigerway is Boston’s leading SAT Exam and Academic Coaching Program. The program is founded by Larry Cheung, CFA (feel free to connect on Linkedin). Alongside serving as one of Boston’s market leaders for educational providers, Larry is passionate about helping his Global Online Community navigate critical issues such as the economy and powerful financial upward mobility as a Key Opinion Leader (KOL).
Tigerway’s No. 2 in Command is Jasmine Ngo. She is a successful Tigerway Alumni and serves as our Program Officer. She has thoughtful strategy roadmap discussions to onboard parents into our Program.
Our coaches are hand-picked by Larry and Jasmine. Our coaches have top scores and grades, but even more importantly, they have demonstrated an intense passion to help others get to the next level.
We are selectively hiring new Coaches for SATs, Academic Coaching, and College Consulting. If you are interested in these roles, please send your resume to Jasmine@tigerwayprep.com.
Tigerway is a proud Founding Member of the National Test Prep Association (NTPA) where the NTPA consistently communicates with the College Board and ACT Exam to understand the future of academics and standardized testing.
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