Successful peole like to set goals. So why not set yours to make your next semester the best–most successful, happiest, most productive–one yet? Here are five ways to do it.
1. Use spring break to catch up on all the sleep, mystery novels, guitar, bad reality TV, surfing, or anything else you regularly sacrifice for school, activities or the SATS. Your goal should be to start the second semester happy and well-rested.
2. Identify your favorite class and turn in a great performance.
3. If an activity isn't fulfilling, or if you're just doing it to put on your college applications, quit. Then redistribute that time to something more enjoyable and productive. Trust me, it will be a good trade off in terms of both happiness and college admissions success.
4. Put high school in perspective. In the not-too-distant future, the negative parts of high school like the back-biting, social climbing, and other negative drama will be a distant memory, one that nobody, including you, will care about anymore.
5. Put college in perspective. Stop obsessing about where you're going to get in and start obsessing about what you're going to do once you're in college. I think you'll find that most of the things that excite you about college are not limited to just a handful of highly selective schools.
Taking these five steps will help you enjoy your life, make a bigger impact in activities you enjoy, stress less, and sleep better–all of which will lead to better performance on exams, higher grades, and more success in college admissions.