Your postsecondary options!

Always have a back-up plan. Don’t only consider one choice of careers, colleges, universities, or locations—come up with at least two. That way, you can change your major, your career or your mind without having to start from scratch.

Brag! You are your best cheerleader when it comes to applying for jobs, internships, colleges/universities and scholarships. Practice interviewing with friends and family so that you can talk about all the cool things you do in one-minute sound bites.

Consider a college as the place to earn your degree. You’ll learn practical applications that you can immediately translate into job opportunities.

Don’t let tuition, expenses, distance, lack of experience or the attitudes of others get in the way of your dreams!

Enjoy high school. If you don’t like high school, find out what it is that you don’t like about it (location? size? class selection?) and seek a postsecondary school that offers the opposite. High school isn’t always the best time of your life, but it’s certainly a unique one, so do the best you can to enjoy it.

Financial aid can come in bursaries, loans and scholarships. Don’t think you can’t afford a postsecondary education. It’s worth every penny, even if you have to pay it back later.

Get a job! If you’re thinking of postponing college or university, find a job where advancement is possible. Say you want to study business, but no one’s hiring a teenage CEO. Consider becoming a clerk at a store where becoming a manager is possible.

Hire yourself. If you can’t find a job that fits with your school and activity schedule, find ways to make your own jobs. Are you an education major? Tutor students in your subject or be a nanny after classes. Are you on the swim team? Teach private swim lessons.

Instant Messenger, e-mail and cell phones are  great for keeping in touch with friends while you’re away. But unplug on a regular basis. You don’t want to be the guy who no one knows because he’s always talking to his girlfriend back home…

Just because you don’t get a sport scholarship doesn’t mean you can’t still play in college or university. Join an intramural team for friendships, skill building, competition and maybe even some travel!

Keep in touch with those you befriend. That can be as easy as writing captions to pictures right away so that you don’t forget names or remembering to send birthday cards to friends you haven’t talked to in a while. In high school, it’s easy to take your friendships for granted. After high school, put forth extra effort for friends old and new.

Laugh at yourself. You will make mistakes, from the people you date to the classes you take. But they all make great stories to tell your future grandkids.

Military careers are always available—and can include tuition assistance, a guaranteed job after graduation, high-tech training and the chance to serve the country. Talk to a recruiter about how to receive funding for school!

Note-taking is an extremely important skill for college or university classes. You might not have had to take many notes in high school, but that will change after graduation. Plan on reviewing those lecture and reading notes for at least an hour after each class. This will make test time less stressful and will help you retain more info as you go.

Open your dorm room door when you’re there and open to interaction. Keeping your door (and your mind) open when you’re in a sociable mood is a great way to meet new friends!

Proofread, proofread, proofread! Complete your scholarship applications a few weeks before they’re due so that you can take a break and read them fresh later.

Qualify your activities on college, university and scholarship applications. It may seem more humble to list “Founder, crisis hotline” than to write paragraphs about the group, but the application reader can’t read your mind. So give a sentence or two that touches on your title, your time commitment and a blurb about what the group does.

Review your résumé every six months or so to ensure you’ve recorded all the nifty things you’ve done.

Save the best essays and projects you do in high school in a portfolio that you can use when you apply for jobs, internships or a major.

Trade schools are terrific ways to learn marketable skills that you can immediately apply to a career.

Undeclared majors, listen up: It is OK to not know what you want to study. But it’s up to you and only you to work toward finding a major.

Verify with your favorite teachers, coaches and family friends that they’re willing to be a reference for any scholarship, college/university or job applications. Pick people who will speak only highly of you.

Women, check out at least one women’s college/university as a potential school. You’ll be surprised at how tolerant and full of history the environment can be! You’ll also be surprised that you can still meet guys.

Xylophone, clarinet, organ…if you play an instrument now, don’t quit it in college/university! You’ll keep your musical skills sharp, you’ll meet people you wouldn’t otherwise and have something else to add to your life experiences list.

Your ambition is your greatest resource. Nothing is a greater asset than your enthusiasm and drive to succeed!

Zzzzz’s are important to catch. Going to bed early on a Friday night after an exhausting week- does not make you lame. It makes you a much happier person for the rest of the weekend.

Article provided by