I feel this needs to be said...(Grades & FIRST Dedication)

[nehalita]

You know, I'd like to point something out. High School is a great time in life but it is also an opportune time to test your limits and see what you are capable of handling before it counts "for good" in College.

I'm going to tell you my story. Please only see these statistics as information to prove a point.
A little background:
- 14 APs, 3.9 gpa (unweighted)/5.17 (weighted), 7 classes a yr, 9 addl taken
- 1 job over summer (40 hour weeks)
- actively on FIRST for 2 years, not as active 1 year
- v tennis 3 yrs, env sci comp 2 yrs, v swimming 1 sem, tae kwon do 2 yrs
- tutoring 2 yrs, volunteering @ hospital 1 yr, many speeches/presentations
- SAT score: 1450 (old), 2150 (new)/SAT2s: Math (800) Physics (800) Chemistry (790) -- I studied for EVERY SINGLE ONE (20+ hrs each)
- 300ish recorded hours of community service

No, I'm not perfect and this isn't the usual stats list but I feel that school is very important and should be taken very seriously in life. I have taken it seriously.

I have also taken FIRST seriously. Ask those who know me, I have tried every job possible. My philosophy is, if I dedicate myself to an activity, I do it wholeheartedly. I think anyone on my team (and those who know me personally) can vouch for that.

What's my point?
...you can do whatever you set your mind to. no doubt. But whatever you take on, you have to adjust your schedule accordingly. You cannot cut corners. I know, I know, school might be boring, stupid, or deemed as unnecessary. So? It's not WHAT you take but how you take it. I took my classes for getting a background, never studying specifically for tests but for knowing content and it worked pretty well for me. Even if I hated english, i looked at it to improve my writing. You can learn from everything.

I'd strongly encourage you to set your priorities now and stick to them. School is #1. You can do all of this and come out alive if you PLAN and make sacrifices. I didn't go out during FIRST season, there were times where I refused plans... you deal.

When you look back what are you going to remember? I will remember having fun, working hard, doing well.
Everyone wants to do that. It is up to you to set your schedule accordingly. To complete my schedule I had to have strict discipline. DEVELOP this. It will come in handy.

If anyone has any personal comments, please PM me personally. If you need help, let me know, this is what I'm here for. I love helping others, just give me a chance.