The drive to make high school fun should not come at the expense of your success. Follow these 12 rules to make the most of your high school experience.
It may not seem possible to make high school fun when you’re stuck in classes you have no interest in taking, but it’s important to play the long game when it comes to getting through. Remember that high school is but a brief part of your life. Sometimes you’re going to have to do things you don’t want to do so you can do things that you do want to do.
In this article, we try to give you the blueprint for how you can make high school fun without falling behind or stubbing your toe along the way. Let’s get started!
1. Explore Many Interests
The first thing you should do to get the most out of high school is to use it as a time for exploring interests. One way to do that is through activities and clubs.
Your school will have many options available to you such as Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), Choir, Band, and various athletics. Don’t stop there, though.
In each group, you’re likely to meet people with similar interests to you. Perhaps there are some Manga fans in the crowd, for example. Why not start your own Manga book club?
The key is to use this time for making connections based on the interests and passions that you have. Your school can help with that, but you don’t have to be tethered to it for ideas. Use it as a springboard for some of your own.
2. Listen In Class
Listening in class can make high school fun? Are we for real, or is this simply us being hucksters for the Man?
No, in all seriousness, listening in class can make history come alive, turn you onto fun scientific facts and experiments, and steer you toward some of the greatest literature every written. There is a world of possibilities.
That doesn’t mean everything you learn is going to be awesome. It won’t even be designed to be awesome. Some things are just downright boring. But you can find out a lot about your passions, tastes, and interests by simply listening more and speaking less after the tardy bell.
3. Apply Yourself to Homework Assignments
Okay, so you may not think of homework as fun on the surface. Some assignments won’t be so bad. Others will be grueling and monotonous. But by applying yourself each and every time, you can improve your high school career tenfold.
That’s because it will prepare you for important exams on the horizon. It will also get you ready for college. Best of all, it will reduce the number of times you feel like you have to pull all-nighters and stress out about future assignments.
4. Get to Know Your Teachers
There are bad apples in every profession. That said, the vast majority of teachers got into the profession because they have a passion for helping students get ready for the next chapters of their lives.
If you get to know your teachers as people instead of disciplinarians, then you might find mentors who can help guide you toward what you really want to do with your life.
Furthermore, you could be making long-term connections that help you enter the workforce later on. Teachers can provide letters of recommendation, links to other contacts, and more. So, see those relationships for their full potential instead of the superficial one that can exist inside of a classroom.
5. Be Nice to Everyone
Being nice to everyone, even people with whom you disagree on things such as religion and politics, will make high school a more rewarding experience. It will do so by teaching you from an early age that the world will not always bend to you, but you can coexist and even find common ground with people from different backgrounds.
Seriously, if we were all the same, the world would be a much more boring place. Your opinion wouldn’t matter because everyone else would share it. You wouldn’t be able to learn anything from anyone, nor would you be able to teach others interesting things about your own world.
It’s all about diversity of thinking. The more that you have, the more rewarding the experience of living in the world will be. That goes for both high school and the world outside of it.
6. But Choose Friends Wisely
While you should be nice to everyone, you don’t have to be friends with them. In fact, you should reserve that position for people who make you better and allow you to make them better.
There is an old saying that bad company corrupts good morals. We aren’t believers that people are inherently bad, but the spirit of this advice is on the money.
You are the average of the people you hang around the most. If they are taking you in a direction, or allowing you to take yourself in a direction, that is contrary to what you know is best for yourself, then they’re not friend material.
Be choosy with your time so you don’t fall into the trap of becoming like someone you don’t want to be. Take steps to separate yourself from anyone that wants to pressure you in unhealthy ways.
7. Take On Projects
Project work can be fulfilling if you find yourself pursuing a subject that connects to your strengths and interests. What is project work exactly?
Well, you’ll learn quickly in many classes that you take throughout high school. It’s a multi-step approach to creating a solution or providing insight to a problem or question.
Project work is not tied to individual homework assignments, tests, or papers. It is the creation of a representation of your theory or approach. It can be a model, a dissertation (not in high school), a poster, a comic book. You name it.
There is a final product in project work that comprises the sum of many actions along the way. You can do one in class or volunteer with an organization within your town to get started.
8. Get Physical
Physical exercise comes easy for those who are involved with team sports through their school. You can stay in shape without having to worry about a grade. You can forge bonds, camaraderie, and encourage those on your team who are going through the same thing you’re going through.
But exercise is not just for the team player. You don’t even need to be involved in sports if that’s not your thing. Nevertheless, getting sweaty and staying in shape will have many benefits that make high school fun.
It will be easier on your health, socialization, and coursework. A healthy body creates a healthy mind, so don’t avoid the weights and cardio just because you’d rather be reading The Hobbit.
9. Learn Financial Literacy
Now, how could financial literacy possibly be fun? Well, being broke isn’t fun and being financially literate will keep that from happening to you.
That’s not to say you will be able to escape poverty situations that you’re born in to overnight. But it does mean that as you come into money, either through graduation money, part-time work, or both, you’ll be able to keep more of what you make and have the money to do things when your friends want to go out.
Money doesn’t give you happiness, but it does pave the way for freedom if it’s handled correctly. Learn to take care of yours early, and you will spend a lot more of your adult life able to afford things.
10. Use Technology to Your Advantage
Technology can be a tremendous blessing or a curse. It depends on how you use it. Use it to establish a professional-looking presence on the web, and it gets easier to market yourself to potential employers later.
Use it to bully and ridicule others, and you could end up facing charges. Fortunately, high school makes it possible for even those with financial restraints to be able to learn and use technology. Take advantage of that freedom, and use it in a beneficial way.
11. Stay Away From Harmful Substances
Any charge you get from drugs or alcohol will be fleeting in nature. It becomes a beast that must be constantly fed. This can lead to the loss of money, health, grades, and even your life.
You have way too much life left ahead of you to waste it on a few nights of drinking or drugs. Be mindful of what lies ahead of you at all times. The hopes, the dreams. Avoid stupid mistakes designed for a brief charge.
One way you can do this easily is to surround yourself with the right friends. Another thing you can do is to seek help from your guidance counselor or parents should you find yourself caught in the trap of substance abuse.
12. Think Ahead
Always, always, always keep your eyes on the future. That’s where you’re going to make the most money, call all the shots, and design the life that will edify you for the next 50-75 years.
This thing you’re going through now – high school – lasts four years. Then, it’s over. Don’t allow it to influence you in making bad decisions that could influence the rest of your life.
You’re too smart for that. And you’re not in the position to handle those repercussions as well. Try to have as much fun in high school as you can without ruining the rest of your life. If there’s a chance something you’re about to do will ruin your life, then avoid it like a plague.
Following These Tips Will Make High School Fun and Rewarding
Like any chapter of life, you’re not going to make high school fun all the time. Sometimes you’ll need to submit to common sense and boredom even if you don’t want to do it.
But by giving your all to each area of high school life, you can make it one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. Now it’s your turn, readers. What are some tips you have for current high school students to make the best of their experiences? Sound off in the comments section below.
Aric Mitchell's work appears regularly here at 4tests.com and across the web for sites, such as The Inquisitr and Life'd. A former high school teacher, his passion for education has only intensified since leaving the classroom. At 4tests, he hopes to continue passing along words of encouragement and study tips to ensure you leave school ready to face an ever-changing world.
