10 Steps To Graduation: High School and Beyond

1.Build a strong foundation

A strong foundation is the building block to make progress with anything one takes up in life. Students need guidance so they can lay down the groundwork to kick off their journeys at an early stage and develop a competitive edge. By the 9th standard, you should start working on keeping all your grades up while exploring activities (workshops, conferences, competitions) related to any 3 broad career areas that interest you while making sure you start reading and writing more.

2. Discover Yourself (Strengths and Weaknesses)

Once some work has been done on a strong foundation, one needs to know more about themselves, their strengths, their weaknesses and what they need to work on. Figuring out these things in the initial years of high school helps in getting a clarity of our own goals and focus. Since this is a growing stage, where one asks a lot of questions about themselves, having access to a comprehensive assessment which can view you objectively can be a great confidence booster. You should get the right assessment which provides the right insights so you get directed to the right path. 

3. Make a Plan

Planning is the most important stage in any journey that you undertake in life. Having a solid plan is usually the difference between people who achieve their goals and those who do not. In such an environment, having a tailored plan suited to a person’s needs helps shape a person and provide structure to their journey. Planning needs to begin at an early age since only if you begin planning by the 9th can you go ahead and execute your plans for your school life and beyond. Planning your 9th and 10th is very different from planning your 11th and 12th—each year requires different prioritizations from co-curriculars to entrance exams and applications. Get an experienced planner to aid you in this process for reliable plans.

4. Choose your counselors and mentors wisely.

Having an experienced counselor who wants to guide you and has your best interests in mind and connects with you on a personal level is extremely important. A good support system can help you make informed decisions and unleash your full potential.  Having a stabilizing force who has been with you throughout your journey can provide a sense of security at this overwhelming phase.

5. Explore your options

Students take their first steps into developing as a person as they go through various new experiences. Make sure you explore enough in order to know your choices well. Make use of your mentors so that you can get a clarity of what you want and what you can get. It is okay to be uncertain, most people attain this clarity gradually and so will you! By the 10th, you should zero down to your top two career fields and enhance those activities related to these fields. Draft your resume and consider research work and projects while also strengthening leadership skills, taking up summer internships, reading journals and newsletters, and doing your best at keeping your grades up.

6. Get expert insights throughout your journey- Build a college list

Without accomplished people from various fields ready to impart their knowledge, the stories they have lived through, their understanding on matters pertaining to their respective fields as well as about people, experiences, and their discoveries along the way—it is very hard to get a holistic conception of what you would like to pursue. These insights will not only give you a better understanding of all these matters but might also inspire you to try new things and explore more. By the 11th, you must use all this information to strengthen your resume and focus on extracurriculars, community service, competitions etc. Start building a college list along with their requirements and start drafting your personal essay. Also secure an activity that enhances the direction you intend to move towards.

7. Socialize, Don’t forget to build some strong relations

Friendships at this stage of life shape your way of thinking. Identifying the right people who will not just support you but also make for fun company (and are the right amount of crazy) will lead to tons of timeless school memories. As you work with your peers, you develop the skills to work with people. They build your Leadership and Communication skills which will help you out in the real world.  Connections go a long way!

8. Stay focussed and prepare for the future - Test prep, Internships, Summer school etc

Prioritizing is very important. The decisions you make at a high-school stage have the power to direct your whole future so choose carefully and calmly. To have that ability to crack the challenges that most cannot, you need to do some vigorous preparation. Test-prep is extremely important. By the 12th, you must finalize your resume and start focusing on college application requirements. Narrow down your college list, keep working on essays and prepare for interviews. College entrances are designed to confuse you and make you undermine your confidence. Preparing for these tests well in advance and learning from people experienced in the applications category will give you the upper hand. With the right preparation material, you will gain knowledge at this grass-root level that will help you even years later so focus and determination are imperative.

9. Make your goals and dreams a reality

Finally, this is what it all leads to, the culmination of the efforts put in by you and your mentors. Create lists and set specific goals that are best suitable for you as well as attainable. These can vary from learning new extracurriculars while setting a time period to diligently practicing them or planning to go planning a recreational activity every week to fixing a set number of career options and diving deep into their technicalities to be more sure of your choice. Specifying precisely what you want to achieve and by when will help you in your process of achieving them. Standing there on your graduation day, you want to have in your hand the offer letter that you’ve been dreaming about for so long.

10. Capture your moments

Capture all your memories in a vlog or blog so you can refer to it later. We tend to have short term memories and some things can be forgotten but if you have a log you can relive them!!