9th Grade
There is no time like the present to start thinking about your future. Certainly, 9th graders do not need to decide on a college or on a specific career, but it is never too early to explore interests and talents and to prepare for your options. Here is a year-by-year guideline to help you prepare (helpful links below):
9th Grade:
Take the most challenging courses that are realistic for you. Classes that challenge you to prepare you better for college and help you develop higher-level thinking skills. It is generally better to get B’s and C’s in the most challenging classes than to get A’s and B’s in easier classes. Of course, it’s best to strive for the highest grade in any chosen course.
Choose electives that help you to explore your interests. WAHS offers a wide variety of electives in fine arts, technology, trade skills, business, humanities, etc. These classes can help you find out what you like and the areas in which you are talented.
Explore extra-curricular activities. Students involved in school life are more likely to do better in school and to develop desirable social and leadership skills. Colleges love to see that students have been involved in activities like athletic teams, academic teams, clubs, bands, etc.
Work Hard. Nothing will benefit you more than doing well in your classes. The better you do in your classes, the more options you will have when high school is over.
Explore different careers. You can do this by taking a variety of classes, looking at career information and exploration sites like www.careercruising.com or www.vaview.vt.edu, shadowing adults in their jobs, talking to your school counselor, or anything else that gives you insights into yourself and different career options.
