Propping Yourself Up: Paving The Way Towards Success

We all know that trying our best in anything we do is the best way to achieve success and reach our goals. But how do we exactly try our "best"? This is where many students get confused, how do we exactly set ourselves up for success? Well, there are different ways people can go about this.
The best, and most obvious, way to achieve your goals is to work hard. Your own work ethic during school serves as the basis for how you will work later on in life. This does not mean to to try to take easy classes so you have a perfect gpa. It means that you have to test your limits as a student, and challenge yourself academically. This would mean to take that extra honor or AP class, you never know, you might be surprised in what you really can accomplish. But don't take this advice too far; many times students get too optimistic and sign up for a full AP schedule and struggle the entire year. Take the amount of classes that you believe that you can handle. Don't go overboard; remember, an A in one AP class looks better than C's in three others. By testing yourself, you are learning more about what you can and cannot handle, and you can use this knowledge later in life to your advantage. So push your limits, but don't destroy them.
Being teenagers, we are all at the age in which we feel like a job would be fun and a way to put some money in our pockets. But before you start filling out those applications to that burger joint, try to look around and see if there are any jobs or internships that are based around the career you wish to pursue. This will allow you to gain some experience in the field you are interested in, and it will give you a head start on your career. It will also help you in those college admissions, an internship or career-based job is always a plus.
One of the best ways to set yourself apart is to use your summer as a time to pull ahead of the pack. Taking classes at your local community college that are catered to your interests allows you to gain knowledge on your major that others may not have, and colleges will notice. Also, you could take this time to do community service. You all know that community service is a great way to give back to your community and improve your application at the same time! But do something you really have an interest in. Don't volunteer at the library if you hate it there, volunteer somewhere you know you will have fun at!