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Shed the fluff and take advanced placement, honors or college prep courses.

      A number of colleges do some rearranging of your grades that you might not be aware of. They will look at the classes you took in high school, throw out the “fluff” classes and recalculate the “core” classes. Journalism, shop, drama, home economics—all gone. Only science, math and English might remain. For many students, this is an unpleasant surprise because the grades they got in their elective classes were the ones responsible for driving up their overall GPA. Knowing this, you might want to choose different classes for your junior and senior years. Throw out the easy classes and take advanced placement or college prep courses instead. Some suggestions include these classes: algebra, geometry, foreign language, laboratory science and English. The honest fact is that a B in a core class will benefit you more than an A in any fluff class.

      Patrick O’Brien adds, “Junior year for many is like boot camp, or to say it another way, it's more like college while the frosh and sophomore years are more like middle school. It is a breakthrough year with greater opportunities but also greater challenges. More self-direction is expected,” he adds. “You should expect it of yourself. Keep all things in balance.”

      Mark Campbell, vice president for enrollment management at McKendree College, advises high school students, “Don't be tempted to take the soft senior year. Continue to develop your writing!”

      Here is a helpful chart for converting your grades over to the point system used for computing GPAs.

A	4.0
A-	3.7
B+	3.3
B	3.0
B-	2.7
C+	2.3
C	2.0
C-	1.7
D+	1.3
D	1.0
D-	0.7
F	0.0

(7) Get passionately involved in your community.

      Another factor that can help you get accepted into college is a history of being actively involved in your community in some way. Don't wait until the summer of your senior year to do this. Start looking around now for ways to play a part in your community. Make sure that you are sincere; don't become involved just to impress the admissions departments of colleges. Do it to learn and explore, and to discover more about yourself. Find a place of service that is in an area of great interest to you. Then you will find your passion, and it will mean more to you than just wanting to look good on a piece of paper. And there's another plus—you will be able to write or talk about that passion in your essay or interview.

      Some possible areas in which to get involved include volunteering at places such as these:

       schools

       crisis intervention centers

       homeless shelters

       park and recreation centers

       community gardens

       nursing homes

       libraries

       hunger relief centers

       humane society

       theatres

(8) Get a coach, tutor, mentor and/or study buddy.

      Just like it is better to study several days before a test rather than several hours (or minutes!) before, why wait to find someone who can help you succeed in so many ways? If you are not doing well in a class, do not hesitate to ask for help. Talk to your teachers. Get a tutor. Find a student who will study with you. Hire a study coach. Learn from a mentor. Do what you need to do now to improve those grades, as well as your own enthusiasm, dedication and passion.

      If the term “mentor” is new to you, here is some helpful information. A mentor is a guide and counselor, someone that gives advice and helps you think through decisions. The term “mentor” carries with it the connotation that the person brings a certain knowledge that comes from wisdom and experience—in other words, a mentor is someone who “knows the ropes”—a friend, coach, tutor, teacher, counselor or even a relative that has been where you are. Research has shown that mentoring relationships can help students to develop work ethics and a sense of responsibility, as well as help raise self-esteem, strengthen communication skills and improve personal relationships. The skills that mentors can teach you will most likely help in high school and certainly in college.

THE TOP FIVE FACTS ABOUT LEARNING DISABILITIES

      When someone has a learning disability, what he or she should be able to do is different from what he or she is able to do. Learning disabilities are invisible, life-long conditions. You can't tell by looking at a person that he or she has one, and learning disabilities can't be cured. One in every ten people has a learning disability.

      A learning disability may mean you have difficulty with any of the following:

       spoken language

       written language

       coordination

       self-control

       organizational skills

       attention

       memory

      FACT 1: People with LD are smart. People with LD have average to above average intelligence. Some people prefer to think of LD as a “different learning style” or a “learning difference.” That's because you CAN learn, but the way in which you learn is different. You have a unique learning style.

       FACT 2: There are many types of LD.

      Dyslexia is usually thought of as a reading disability although it also means having problems using language in many forms.

      Dyscalculia causes people to have problems doing arithmetic and understanding math concepts. Many people have issues with math, but a person with dyscalculia has a much more difficult time solving basic math problems.

      Dysgraphia is a writing disorder that causes people to have difficulty forming letters or writing within a certain space.

      Dyspraxia is a problem with the body's system of motion. Dyspraxia makes it difficult for a person to control and coordinate his or her movements.

      Auditory memory and processing disability describes problems people have in understanding or remembering words or sounds because their brains don't understand language the way typical brains do.

      FACT 3: LD is hereditary. No one knows the exact cause of LD but it is believed to be a problem with the central nervous system, meaning it is neurological. LD also tends to run in families. You may discover that one of your guardians or grandparents had trouble at school. LD is not caused by too much sugar, guardians who aren't strict enough or allergies.

      FACT 4: LD must be assessed by a psychologist. Diagnosing LD involves a number of things. You and your guardians will be interviewed to find out what kind of problems you have had, how long you have had them and how seriously they have affected you. Your teachers should be interviewed as well.

      You will be given several tests. These aren't the same kind of tests you take in school. Instead, the person testing you will ask you questions and get you to complete certain tasks. Once the tests are finished, the examiner looks at how you are doing at school and compares that with how you should be doing given how smart you are (your intelligence). If there is a difference between these that can't be explained by other reasons, then a diagnosis of LD is often made.

      FACT 5: There is no cure for LD but lots can be done to help. One of the most important things you can do to help yourself is to understand what your particular LD is. It is also important for you to recognize and work on your strengths. Your guardians and teachers will help you learn about how to cope with your learning problems better by teaching strategies that can minimize their effect.

      

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