One of the biggest challenges regarding going to college is figuring out how to pay for it. For most teens, this means student loans. And unfortunately, this can also means living with massive debt for many years. Now, you can avoid this by going to more affordable trade schools (with great-paying jobs) or becoming a YouTube star so you can just pay your tuition all at once in cash (yeah, right), or you can just get smart about the whole deal and strategize.

OneClass has put together a massive infographic with a lot of great tips for avoiding the stress of student loans once you graduate. Its below…and is worth the scrolling to read all the information so you can have a debt-free future while still getting a great education.

College is something that a lot of people do, but it isn’t for everyone. If you choose to take this path, it will be a time in your life between high school and your career. This can be a time of confusion, but it can also be a great time to learn and meet new people.

All in all, college is going to be a lot of work. It is much different than high school, and it is vital to prepare for it so that you do well. If you are nearing the final years of high school and planning to further your education, this is a good article for you to read. Here, we are going to discuss five habits you can use right now to give yourself a head start in college.

Develop Time Management Skills

Time management is something that a lot of college students struggle with. This is partly because students are on their own a lot, but it is also because classes are structured very differently. Unlike high school, your teacher won’t remind you every day about an assignment that is due. It is your job to figure out when things are due and when you are going to have time to work on them. StraighterLine explains, “You need to establish your priorities. School needs to be a primary concern, not a secondary one. You also need to sleep and be healthy in general.” Without time management skills, college can quickly become overwhelming and stressful.

Learn to Study Properly

Learning to study is another important skill that you need to learn before heading to college. Above-average students may not have had to study much in high school, but a lack thereof in college can be devastating to your grades. Studying will be necessary, so make sure that you learn how to have a productive study session with minimal distraction.

Stay on Top of your GPA

Unlike high school, your teachers won’t be as lenient with your grades. At the end of the semester, your grade is your grade, and your teacher won’t give your bonus points just to help you out. Start off the year right and keep your grades up because it will be hard to catch up if you let them drop early on. GPA Calculator explains, “staying on top of your GPA in college is also important for other reasons. If you land a scholarship or grant that depends on you to maintain a GPA above a certain threshold, then not meeting your GPA requirements could mean you lose your financial backing for college.”

Learn to be independent

College is going to be a time where you spend a lot more time alone than you did in high school. You will need to learn to take care of yourself in various ways. Stay on top of your mental and physical health, get sleep, eat healthily, learn to do laundry, etc. There might not be anyone there to help you, so you should learn to be independent so that college isn’t a total shock. That, of course, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check up with your parents here and then. Being so suddenly disconnected from familiar surroundings can be shocking, and keeping in touch with loved ones can be a huge help.

Beat procrastination

With so much free time in college, you might feel like you have a lot of time to lie back and relax. In reality, any event that you have downtime you should probably take a look at upcoming assignments. Use your time wisely and don’t put things off until the day they are due because it causes a lot of stress and even low grades.

Hopefully, reading this article has given you a better understanding of the ways that you can get a head start for college. Even if you were the smartest person in your high school, there will be a plethora of people just as smart as you in college. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t feel as highly about yourself. You just need to prepare to work harder and continue to be the best student that you can.

As you head off to high school, you can’t believe you have four more years of school. It seems to stretch on for an eternity. You’re bright and have big ideas. You tend to think outside the box. The thought of being tied down to the same routine is frustrating. For someone who wants to spread their wings and move on more quickly in life, it can be tough to wait it out in senior high. However, you don’t have to follow the traditional path. Be a mover and a shaker. Some students have graduated high school before they’re 13 years old. By graduating from high school early, you can get a jump on college and even work.

How are Students Graduating Early from High School?

Students are earning their ticket out the door earlier by planning ahead. They’re organized. They talk to their academic advisers to find out how many credits they need to complete all of their course requirements earlier than the norm. To reach their goals, they have to be really motivated. Every period is filled, eliminating study halls. Independent studies, online courses, and summer school provide students with more opportunities to shorten the length of their stay in high school.

Many choose to graduate a semester early. Others manage to shave off a year. Jennifer Lawrence, the movie star, managed to graduate at the top of her class after only two years in high school. Actor Penn Badgley really broke the mold. At the age of 14, he completed his high school requirements by passing the California High School Proficiency exam. He was so fired up about pursuing an acting career that he enrolled right away in college.

Graduating early from high school can be even easier if you are homeschooled, because you can work ahead.

Why Do Students Choose to Graduate Early?

Students who choose to graduate early typically have big goals for the future. They know exactly what they want to get out of life and they are eager to move on. For some, they simply just don’t like school. They’ll do anything possible to finish their requirements early to get out in the real world. Others are bored by traditional schooling or are so advanced that they are ready for higher learning. Online schools allow students to proceed at their own pace, which means the truly motivated can easily get ahead in their studies.

What Options are Available to Advance for Students Who Don’t Graduate Early?

The fast track out of high school isn’t for everyone. However, students still have options that can help them to get a kick start to college while they are in high school. Taking online college courses, college courses that are offered through their high schools, and advanced placement classes can help them to earn college credits.

Earning credits in high school is also possible through dual-enrollment, where you are still in high school (public, private, or home school) and take community college classes — even for free in many cases! So you could do finish your AA while still in high school, thereby getting two years of college without paying for them–and then graduate with your Bachelor’s in only two more years because you finished all your prereqs while getting the AA. SWEET!

Graduating from high school early is not all roses. We know of a couple of extremely bright kids with good upbringings who graduated high school early, but were unfortunately introduced to drugs and other harmful things by their community college student peers. Being immature and freer from parental and teacher supervision (in college you are on your own), they fell prey to the peer pressure, and to this day are suffering from their bad choices–including substance abuse, suicidal tendencies, and even imprisonment. So make sure you are mature enough to handle life outside of high school because it can be a jungle out there.

We all love having fun after a full day of hitting the textbooks in school, but this is not always possible when we have assignments to complete and exams to pass that are just around the corner. Some tasks may be easy when you are discussing them at school, but they prove to be more difficult when you are tackling them on your own at home. Things just get very boring. Well, we are going to give you 5 study tips for when your homework is very boring.

Before we get into these 5 study tips, first a suggestion for Spanish-speaking students. You can avoid many of the frustrations of trying to figure out boring homework on your own by checking out https://www.rincondelvago.com/, where you can interact with other students from all the basic levels of study. You will find case studies, revision materials, and more stuff jst for students on this site, and thus make learning a but funner. Maybe one day they will develop an English site, but if you speak Spansih check it out.

Making your study environment at home a space conducive to concentrating can prevent that boring homework from becoming an uphill task that drains you all the time. Trying to motivate yourself by focusing on the big picture of what you will gain after studying well and completing your homework will help you keep focused, despite having the urge to do other things—like checking your Snaps for the 1000th time today. Here are some of things you can try to keep you interested and able to study for a long time even if your homework is boring.

1. Listen to some good music

Music has a way of relaxing your mind, and if you listen to some cool music that you like most, it can help keep your mind alert. Boring homework can make you lose interest in reading, but by listening to music, you are stimulated and this can help you pay more attention, which helps you to understand what you have just read. Keep the volume at a reasonable level so you can focus on what you are studying, but feel free to get up every while and dance around on a break!

2. Use the Pomodoro technique

This technique helps hold you accouontable and focused on what you are doing. The Pomodoro technique (pomodoro is “tomato” in Italian) involves setting a timer for 25 minutes, in which you study without stopping until the alarm goes off. After that, you can take a five-minute break to relax. After four of these 25/5 periods (which equal two hours of pretty steady work), you can then take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes. You should utilize your break time by doing something that will help your get your mind off your studies. Stretch, eat a snack, check your phone, etc.

There are many free apps with Pomodoro timers, just search the App Store or Google Play.

3. Study with a friend over FaceTime or Skype

It can help to do homework with a friend. With FaceTime or Skype, which are easy and free to chat with, you can study with someone else at any time. Your friend may understand the parts that are hard for you, and you can also help them out with the parts that are challenging for them. You should, however, get someone who encourages and helps you to concentrate on your studies, and not someone who distracts you with a bunch of gossip or showing you the latest memes instead of getting to work.

4. Get a parent involved to help you

Getting help from a parent can sometimes help in keeping a positive attitude toward your studies. Not always (we get it), but give it a try. Do not feel shy to ask for their assistance when your homework gets hard or boring for you. You can discuss your problems, and chances are they can help you to reason out the concepts that you do not understand. The key here is to understnd they have not been in school a long time, so you have to show them patience because they might not understand modern schooling methods. They are, however, very experienced–which counts for a lot!

5. Sketch or use toys or other objects to help you understand concepts 

The last of our study tips is to use toys and other objects to understand concepts. This works because it makes the words on the page more real by putting them into the real world as opposed to just in your head.

By taking some paper clips, a few coins, and whatever else you have lying around and using them to demonstrate the important points of what you are studying, it stimulates your mind, encourages creativity, imagination, and expression of feelings. Sketching can also be useful in simplifying complex ideas into something that your mind can easily remember. Your memory can remember a sketch or an image much easier than some random fact, and this is much more entertaining than reading endless paragraphs of text.

Do you have any more study tips for boring homework? Share below!

Do you find yourself dreading essays and putting them off until the last possible moment? While not everyone loves writing, you can certainly make things easier for yourself. An excellent essay won’t just impress your teacher and peers, and it will also help build your confidence. Here are some tips on how to write a killer essay.

1. How to write a killer essay rule#1: nail the thesis

The first step in how to write a killer essay is to come up with a compelling thesis. All essays need one. This is the statement at the end of your introduction that you seek to support by the end of your essay. It’s not like proving the existence of Bigfoot, but it does involve having supporting arguments through evidence — like verified research you can cite. If your essay is research-intensive, it helps to gather your evidence BEFORE doing your thesis. Should you find anything that strongly refutes your argument, you need to revise it.

2. Know how to structure it

An improper structure keeps many essays from being neat and organized. There are four major types of essays: descriptive (which uses expressive language), narrative (where the writer recounts an experience), persuasive (where you need to make an argument and back it up), and expository (which delves into a specific topic). When you’re assigned an essay, make sure you understand what kind it is. A narrative essay can be made engaging by starting in the middle of the action and going backward to establish how you reached that point. A persuasive essay should outline your points in the beginning and explain them one by one. Read examples of each type of essay to understand structure better.

3. Make it flow

Great writing is all about the flow. For how to write a killer essay, there should be a clear connection between each sentence and paragraph. Choppy writing makes essays challenging to read. You should consider each point you present and whether it appears naturally. If it feels out of sync in any way, consider revising it.

4. End it strong

A compelling essay keeps the reader’s attention from beginning to end. While it might be easy to rush through the conclusion, you need to nail the landing for a great essay. Go back to your thesis, discuss your supporting arguments in your thesis, and think of an excellent final statement which reiterates your thesis.

No one is born knowing how to write a killer essay. It’s a talent that is developed through practice and patience. When you understand the fundamentals of essay writing and know how to formulate your arguments, you’re already on your way to success. Take this advice to heart and go into your next essay with newfound motivation. Remember not to procrastinate and be consistent with your work on it.

References:

• 8 Tips for Great Essay Writing | Oxbridge Essays
• The 4 Different Types of Essays | Word Counter
• Essay Tips: 7 Tips on Writing an Effective Essay

High School Myths!

Looking back at my high school years, I am filled with bittersweet agony. I, like so many millions, looked forward to entering high school and did so with the best of intentions. However, I made a few missteps — a lot of which were a result of pressure built on by the numerous high school myths which filled my head from movies, T.V. and books which made high school look like some sort of a wild jungle party.

In the following, I will be debunking a few of them for every teen out there who is about to enter high school.

1. Only the popular kids have fun

No high school is anything like what we were shown in the movie Mean Girls! There is no elite group which runs the whole school. Yes, there will be certainly people who are more outgoing than others and have a wider circle of friends, but the truth is that most high schools are so big that people don’t really care about how popular you are. And there are not going to be crazy parties every weekend being thrown by this popular clique, with being invited to the party as some sort of acceptance criteria.

The idea is to find your group of friends or like-minded people and have the best time possible while focusing on learning as much as you can (and proving it with good grades). Most parties or hangouts are among close group of friends and are low key. The supreme power of the popular clique is a totally fake high school myth, unless your high school has like 30 kids in it total. 

Do not enter high school with a mindset that you need to be part of any clique to survive that place. You just have to be yourself for the right kind of friends to like you just the way you are.

2. I’d better hide on Freshman Friday

I remember walking scared all day long on the first Friday of my high school year. All you freshmen out there, you may breathe a sigh of relief there is hardly such thing as a Freshman Friday any more! Especially since these days, bullying is on everyone’s radar and hazing is hardly acceptable any more.

It took me a whole day of holding my breath to realize everyone’s just too busy and don’t really care enough about the freshman to torture them. Some seniors might make you feel that they are superior to you in some ways, which they really aren’t except for their knowledge about the building. There might be some ragging or some people might pull a few pranks but people rarely get physical, unless you somehow end up involved with the wrong kind of kids — in which case get an adult involved if you do not feel safe or are bullied harshly.

Many high schools offer freshmen some sort of mentoring program to jump start their high school experience, so make sure you check out what your school has to offer before the school year starts.

3. Everyone drives a wicked cool car in high school

This is one of those high school myths which comes from just about every teen movie ever made. the trith is, not everyone comes to school in their own personal Benz or Mustang GT — most of the cars in the parking lot probably belong to the teachers or the staff.

Unless your parents got bucks, the usual way you get your first car is that you finish school, get a job and then get your own car, even if its a jalopy. Do not expect your parents to buy you a car automatically when you turn 16, and do not enter high school thinking you need a ride to impress people.

If you want to impress people, impress them with your talents and your personality.

4. Appearance is the key to acceptance

Yes, it is true that we become more aware of our sense of style and fashion in the high school years, but it certainly doesn’t mean you have to be on some sort of a bandwagon — even though Instagram tends to show otherwise!

It helps to look presentable and take care of your grooming, because that is just polite and also makes you feel good, but your style or the label on your clothing is not the key to your social life. Within a couple of weeks after school starts everyone gets so busy with exams, projects and other stuff that people hardly pay attention to what other people are wearing.

So no need to fret over what to wear every morning, just follow what is your true style or whatever you are in the mood for.

5. These are the best years of my life

A lot of teens enter high school thinking these are supposed to be the best years of their lives and they should live it up as much as they can before its all over. Boy, can this high school myth wreck your attitude when things don’t quite go that way.

Also, just because everyone seems to be dating, doesn’t mean you have to be in any hurry…because the best years are still to come. Your thirties and forties will be way better than this, believe me.

These are the years to make mistakes and not take things too seriously. I was so nervous about “being trapped” that I ended up being in an open relationship. I thought with this “no strings attached” kind of thing going I would be happy and free, but the truth is I ended up being miserable and multiple commitments even effected my grades. It was immoral, and I knew it, and regretted it.

High school can be a different sort of an experience for everyone. You shouldn’t enter high school with too many preconceived ideas. It is the best time to explore yourself, and what options you have for the future. Your college admission also depends on what you do in this time, so sacrifice a little here by hitting the books and it should pay off in the best years of your life later.

6. The only thing that matters is my grades

Another of the high school myths which should be debunked here is that teens often think “I don’t need to participate in extra-curricular activities; I should just focus on my grades.” This statement is completely false.

Colleges and Universities always look for well-rounded applicants. Even if you are the smartest kid in your school academically, colleges will debate whether they should accept you or not just because you did not participate in any extracurricular activities. Even without college plans, extracurricular activities teach you so much more than what books can. You get to learn patience, persistence and discipline, as well as develop artistically, athletically, and/or spiritually. These are desirable qualities and part of your life education, so do not focus only on your grades, but try something new to expand your horizons.

7. There is a gang of kids drinking, smoking and/or and doing drugs in every bathroom 

I was terrified of entering bathrooms when I first went to high school, because nearly every movie I have ever seen shows a bunch of tough looking kids in leather jackets that hang out in bathrooms all day ready to beat nerds up in between drags of their cigarette or swigs of beer — or smoking weed and being stupid.

While you may encounter a few kids here and there being naughty, this is rare. And definitely not like what you see in the movies. In fact, if teens are going to misbehave, they usually do it far away from teachers — meaning they wait until after school on their way home.

8. I don’t have to worry about the SAT or ACT until Senior year

Many students believe since they need their standardized test results just before they need to apply for college of their choice; they should wait until the very end to even think about these tests. Actually the earlier you prepare for your ACT and/or SAT exams, the better off you will be. There are plenty of resources for taking practice tests, study guides, and more online which will help you prepare. It is better to take the SATs as early as possible, as it gives you more time to restudy and retake the test for better scores.

This comes from personal experience.

9. I must strive to shine like a lone star

Another very interesting myth that is sometimes manifested is that the lone star shines the brightest. In truth, teens need to learn the importance of teamwork and getting along with people.

When working together, sometimes team members become competitive and try to outshine each other or focus only on their part in the project. There has been a paradigm shift in the corporate culture over the past few years. Every company now looks for a team player and wants to see how well you will blend in. Therefore, it is very important to participate in all sorts of group activities. High school is one of the best times to get exposed to the concept and don’t become an anti-social jerk just because “nobody gets me.” What are YOU doing that is making you so hard to “get?”

So, whenever you are part of a group don’t just focus on yourself and sulk in a corner or try to dominate: see how you can contribute to the success of the whole team.

10. I must lose my virginity in high school

No you don’t. You also don’t need to do so in college either. The truth is, there are no 100 percent, across the boards rules about this. Instead, it kind of depends on your upbringing, your parent’s guidance, your cultural background, your religious beliefs, and even what part of the country you live in. Mots of all, it depends on your gut, and what makes your comfortable in accordance with the previous factors.

The point is…there is no rush.

So there you have it. High school is what you make of it, and hopefully you will get to know yourself much better. It is a phase where some of the lessons you learn will stay with you for life, so do not let these high school myths spoil your experience for you.

High school is a time for students to get serious about their future. If they are planning on getting into a good college, they need to start the process of looking for one as early as the ninth grade. However, what do colleges look at in high school students? It is conduct, grades, and career goals.

Having Good Conduct

Having good behavior is important. When an Ivy League university looks into your background and transcripts, it needs to be squeaky clean. There should be no suspensions, assaults, theft, or even arrests sitting on your records. Some colleges may accept you, but a prestigious university will not. Your arrest record might not be something that may come up in college admissions talk often, but it’s highly critical for your future success in higher education. Practice safe driving, if you need to

Extracurriculars

To be a well-rounded student, you need have been involved in other things than just school. Whether it’s a sport or some sort of artistic activity, it’s going to look good on your applications. If you’re not big on either of those types of activities, and want to highlight your leadership abilities, look at starting a club (particularly one focusing on bettering the lives of others or serving a community). You should also look into student council and being a member of the honor society. These might not seem as significant as your grades or the classes you take, but they show that you are above the rest.

Having A Good Grade Point Average

The Honor roll is the most important reward a high school student really should attain to achieve. Not only should you make the honor roll, but you should also stay there. Being valedictorian, salutatorian, magna cum laude, and cum laude can help you get good scholarships. That means less student loan debt, if any, to deal with. It is always good to check your high school ranking and improve upon it as much as possible.

If you’re wanting to go to an Ivy League, you’ll need perfect grades. They have the best degree programs and only want the students who are top achievers attending their schools.

Choosing Career Goals

Whatever your career goals are, there is a university to match them. There are schools that have excellent nursing programs and internships available to help you get that high paying job you want if you know that you want to do that. So knowing what your career goals can help you save money in the future, and help you make a more specific college choice, as not all the top colleges will have the best programs for your specific goals. You can find out more about your career goals and what might fit you best by taking some aptitude tests and personality tests.

At the end of the day, try your best at school, get good grades, and keep out of trouble.

References and Resources:

• https://gpacalculator.io
• https://blog.prepscholar.com
• https://www.bestvalueschools.com/faq
• https://www.stevenshenager.edu/blog/
• https://www.business2community.com
• https://www.preemploymentassessments.com/

Roughly 60 percent of undergraduates between ages 18 and 24 enrolled in a four-year bachelor’s degree program that have taken out student loans say they are responsible for covering more than half of the total cost of their education, a new survey from student loan company Ascent found. However, more than half (51.7 percent) said they do not think the “value of a college education has kept up with the cost.” 47.2 percent also said they will need to cover more of their college costs than they originally thought.

We did a Q&A with Tom Barry, one of the experts at Collegewise, a company started by one of the founders of the Princeton Review which has helped more than 10,000 students gain admission to hundreds of universities. Former Counselors and Admissions Officers from Yale, Harvard, Cornell, Stanford, University of Chicago, MIT, and Caltech (to name a few) are part of the Collegewise team.

Today, how much does an average student have to pay out of pocket for a four-year bachelor’s degree program?

The actual cost of a college education is obviously a nebulous one, and you’ll get a lot of different answers depending on how complicated you want to make the economics of the question. There’s the price on the check for tuition. There’s that price plus foregone earnings for the time that the student is in school and not in the workforce. There’s the price on the check plus foregone earnings, minus potential future earnings based on the degree that a student is seeking which is almost always a negative number. This is because despite what makes headlines, on the whole, there is still a real and unquestionable return on investment on higher education over a lifetime.

But students still need to be savvy. Many families fall into a category where, based on financial aid formulas and methodology, they can technically afford a large percentage of the cost of attendance at a particular school, but doing so might require parents to push retirement back several years or to borrow against their home or other assets. Or they might fall into a category where they can afford only a small amount of the tuition, but the gap between what they can pay and the college’s cost of attendance is covered mostly by loans that need to be paid back and that could limit the student’s options when they graduate. So how much families shell out in the short term might be a pretty simple number, but the impact of that price will vary in the long term from family to family.

Is it still worth it to pursue a college education then?

It’s probably more important than ever for students to ask themselves why they are pursuing college and what their aims are after they finish.

If you look at national data, there is clearly a long-term financial benefit for students who pursue tertiary education, even after considering the expense of loans. This is especially true in the STEM fields, which is why you see so many students and families clambering toward computer science and engineering programs.

But there’s more to it than that. A student who hates math and science in high school probably isn’t going to fall in love with calculus all of a sudden when they get to college. And then they’re stuck having to do a job they’re not excited about for the rest of their lives rather than something they’re actually passionate about. In that case, one might turn the question around and ask whether the increased income is worth the education.

What do you think schools should do to increase the value they provide compared with the tuition they receive?

Many colleges are already doing a lot to reinforce the marketability and job placement results of their graduates, in large part due to demand from students and parents to see tangible results from their college educations. Frankly, though, I’m not convinced that it is – or even should be – the college’s job to increase their value to students. Rather, it’s the student’s job to maximize the opportunities available to them, whatever those happen to be.

It doesn’t matter how fancy a college’s career services portal is or how many resume workshops they run if you, as a student, aren’t willing to take ownership of your own future and put in the time to take advantage of the college’s offerings.

How can students select a school that will provide an education equal to its costs?

Most colleges release earnings reports of graduates immediately upon graduation or within five years of graduation. Practically speaking, those reports typically rely on self-reported data that is only collected from the graduates who are interested in responding in the first place, so they can be rather inflated and misleading. (People who are doing well for themselves are usually more excited to share information about their earnings than those who are not.) But these statistics provide an actual, concrete number to latch onto, so it’s not unrealistic for students to view those numbers as a solid indication of how they might fare after graduation.

But just like so many other aspects of a student’s college experience, you get out what you put in. So rather than just asking “What’s available?” or “How have other people done in the past?”, try to reframe the question so that instead you’re asking “What am I going to take advantage of at this particular school?” Because in the end, while colleges are institutions of learning, it’s not realistic to think that someone else is going to do the learning for you. It’s the student’s job to seek out resources and take advantage of the ones that will help them to be successful.

What less expensive options are there?

Community colleges and two-year institutions are fantastic ways for students to try out higher education at a lower price. And many public four-year universities, particularly in California and Washington (the two states with the education systems that I happen to know best), are quite explicit that when reviewing transfer applications, priority goes to students looking to transfer from a two-year college rather than to students already enrolled at a four-year university.

In addition, we’re seeing a lot of growth in apprenticeship and on-the-job training programs that can provide an education that focuses more on the skills of the trade. And for kids interested in the military, there are also service academies, the GI Bill, and a few community programs that can provide stipends that count toward the cost of higher education or even cover the whole thing.

Education & Experience

Transitioning beyond high school can seem complicated, but with specific resources getting a headstart on college is possible. Here are four ways you can approach earning college credit before you ever step foot in your first lecture hall:

1) Take AP classes in high school

Advanced Placement (AP) classes are designed by The College Board and implemented in high schools across the country which allow students to take college-level courses without the college price tag. Students who take AP courses can take subject exams that could qualify them for placement in upper-division courses in college, or college credit. However, if your school doesn’t offer college courses, online high schools generally do. Be sure to do your best with these courses, as they can be touch and accelerated – read up on some tips we have on better ways to study.

2) Consider an online high school

Admit it, and you already spend a lot of time scrolling through your feed. Why not consider spending some of that screen time earning a high school diploma online? Like other programs that give you a leg-up on your way to college, online high schools can be a worthwhile investment towards your future. In addition to earning dual credit, online high schools also tend to offer flexible schedules, and some are even affiliated with existing colleges. Whether you want to zoom through or take your time, the choice is yours with online high schools.

3) Enroll in community college courses

Community colleges can have a bad rep, but they are actually useful resources to high school students. Many community colleges offer semester-long courses to high school students looking to get ahead. When courses during the semester are not offered, there are often summer options that likewise count towards college credit. Though costs are involved, the U.S. Department of Education recently rolled out a plan that would help provide some financial aid assistance to students seeking dual enrollment, making prices more affordable.

4) Take your college’s placement tests

English 101 and Math 98 are just a few of the introductory courses you may have to take during your freshman year of college. However, you can often opt to take a placement test in any of these subjects to skip ahead to upper-division coursework, or claim the general credits. These tests will determine whether your existing knowledge of the subject meets college standards, and can be requested through advisors or individual departments depending on your college.

Regardless of the approach you use, earning college credit before or within your freshman year is doable, all it takes is knowing about your options.

References:

https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/home

https://www.connectionsacademy.com/curriculum/online-high-school

https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/fact-sheet-expanding-college-access-through-dual-enrollment-pell-experiment?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=