I wish I knew that education is a domino effect. If I’d taken a certain math class and tried harder in middle school, I could have moved up, and then set off my high school career ahead of the average student. If I took honors English, my strongest subject, my freshman year, I could have taken a higher English class my sophomore year. Except I had no idea that I should have started to push myself to prepare for college. Instead, I did not take school seriously. I strived for good grades, but I could have tried much harder, if I knew that I needed to, in order to excel in the future. The same goes for extracurricular activities. I was encouraged to continue with sports, but I did not know that clubs were something I should have joined to prepare.One of the high school’s guidance counselors, Mr. Peters, said that “getting involved is crucial. Involvement teaches social skills, relationship building, stress relief, time management, and can potentially help students identify a career path in addition to building a student’s resume.”

An article by College Wise  determines when one should start preparing for college. The article stated that Academic trends are important, so a 3.2 GPA freshman year will be hard to improve sophomore year and so on. Academic trends are important because each year sets up for another. Starting off a strong freshman year is a better idea than trying to catch up throughout highschool. If students were educated to be determined for their future, they could have a better chance of changing academic trends that colleges look at while they still have the chance. 

Is the problem a lack of confidence or a lack of knowledge? Without being educated during school hours, some students don’t have the push they need at home. 

Guiding a First Generation to College notes that “students who are new to America or lack college-educated parents often don’t know how important college is.” Students who don’t have parents or older siblings have nobody to mimic. “They don’t know how to choose schools and apply for college and financial aid. They also lack the support structure that can keep them on track”. 

Without the influence and role models, how can a freshman in highschool know what they need to do? Which is why freshman year students should be educated on what to do to set their future up successfully.