You may feel bored with high school, or feel ready for a brand new journey, and all you want to do is graduate and move on to college. Getting into this mindset could be dangerous and potentially hurt any chance you may have at getting into college.
“How is high school making me look good for college?”
- High school provides many different opportunities and experiences to become more marketable for colleges. This will cause your application to stand out with college admissions and show them how you are able to manage your time, participate in different activities and sports, and succeed academically.
As a student, you need to be aware of how rigorous classes, extracurricular activities, and sports involvement can make you a stronger candidate for your top choice school.
2 Common Mistakes Students Make…
“Why would I want to take hard classes where I can’t get an ‘A’?”
- Rigourous classes provide college admissions the opportunity to see your success rate in higher level classes, providing a chance to determine how you will do in college level classes. If a student is receiving an ‘A’ in an easy class (such as “Fun with Numbers”) and another student is receiving a ‘C’ in a harder class (such as Algebra), college admissions will be more likely to look closely at the student receiving the ‘C’ in the higher level class. The student is demonstrating his or her ability to accomplish the work with a harder class and still be able to do well.
“Once I get accepted to college, I can slack off my senior year.”
- This is a large misconception. It is important to do your best all 4 years of high school. Senior year, although it is a fun and final year, is NOT the year to slack off and take easy classes. College admissions continue to look at high school transcripts through the end of your senior year. If your grades become low, or show a decrease, even after being accepted to college, admissions can, and will, revoke your acceptance.
Academics
- It is important to take classes where the course material is more difficult. Colleges want to see how well you can handle the course work involved with higher level classes. Even if you do not receive an ‘A’ in the class, the level of the work and your commitment, are showing college admissions that you can, and will, do well in a college academic setting. If possible, enroll in at least one CAP class offered at AuSable Valley Middle-High School.
What Involvement in CAP classes can do for you
- CAP classes are college classes offered at the high school. When a student passes a CAP class, he or she will receive college credit, which will appear on your transcript.
- College credits obtained in high school can be transferred to most community schools.
- If entering a SUNY school, students need to obtain a grade of 75 or higher in order for the college credits to transfer.
- If a student is applying to an Ivy League school, it is strongly advised he or she enroll in as many CAP classes possible.
*Be sure to double check with your college choices to ensure CAP classes are transferable.
Available CAP Classes
Sports
Sports provide an opportunity for students to develop time management skills, maintain appropriate behavior, and achieve academic success. At AuSable Valley Middle-High School, there are many sports you have the opportunity to become involved in. Sport clubs or activities out of school* also provide examples to college admissions about time management and academic success, as long as you are involved in them for a significant amount of time (a year or more).
What Being Involved in Sports Can Do For You
Sports:
- Help students to develop time management skills.
- Show colleges you have the ability to commit to and participate in something long term.
- Provide examples of being able to release stress and deal with events in a positive way.
- Demonstrate your ability to be part of a team and work with people of different personalities.
- Teach discipline, responsibility, reliability, and teamwork. These are important skills that look favorable towards the student and college admissions will take these into consideration.
- Demonstrate your ability to be accountable for your different activities (i.e. doing well in school, prioritizing, organizing, time management, healthy decisions)
- Are offered for students who enjoy being on a team and working with others to succeed such as, working/competing individually and having a part in a win. Each preference provides opportunities for students to develop skills in safe and productive competition.
- Can help to provide students with scholarship opportunities (important to not rely on this).
Sports at AVCS:
| Fall | Winter | Spring |
| Cross Country | Boys Basketball | Baseball |
| Football | Girls Basketball | Golf |
| Boys Soccer | Bowling | Softball |
| Girls Soccer | Hockey (co-op) | Tennis |
| Girls Swimming | Indoor Track | Track & Field |
| Volleyball | Boys Swimming | |
| Wrestling |
Extracurricular Activities
Extracurricular activities can include sports, volunteer work, community involvement, and church/spiritual involvement. These activities demonstrate to colleges interests in different spectrums of your life. It can allow college admissions to observe your interests in and out of school. There are many different clubs you can become involved in at AuSable Valley Middle-High School and within your community.
What Being Involved in Extracurricular Activities Can Do For You
Extracurricular Activities:
- Show you have interests in different activities.
- Provide colleges the opportunity to learn what type of person you are based on your interests.
- Show your dedication to a variety of different interests and activities.
- Demonstrate to college admissions passions and/or hobbies you have in and out of school.
- Demonstrate how well-rounded you are and your ability to be able to “give back” to the college (i.e. helping them by becoming part of their clubs and organizations on campus).
- Show your ties and involvement to or within your community. This will provide college admissions the opportunity to see how this will be carried onto campus and their college community.
- Demonstrate workplace skills, reliability, responsibility, and the ability to apply classroom learning to real-world problem solving.
- Can demonstrate your ability to participate in an array of responsibilities and work successfully with many different people.
- Provide a glimpse of what your interests are outside of school.
Extracurricular Activities at AVCS:
- *Sports activities outside of school can include any sport you may be a part of that are not associated with the school. Examples may include a soccer club, horseback riding, or skiing/snowboarding. Please check with your school counselor with any questions about outside activities you may or may not want included on your college applications.
*Extracurricular activities can also be outside of school. These can include spiritual organizations, youth groups, boy/girl scouts, 4H, community organizations or volunteer organizations (i.e. food shelf, soup kitchen, Relay for Life), and even possible passions you participate in outside of school (such as crafts group or dance).
Activities outside of school should have an involvement of a year or more to be considered for applications. Be sure to see your school counselor with any questions and/or concerns about activities outside of school.
