Being a gifted secondary school student can pave the way for some lucrative post-secondary schooling years. You can use your talents and skills to reach your full potential in the school of your choice and go on to lead a very successful professional life. However, not every teen knows how to take full advantage of their efforts and talents once they enter a post-secondary school environment. The following tips may help:
Undergo a Psychoeducational Assessment
When you aren’t sure just what your strengths are and how you can maximize them, psychoeducational assessments make sense. Reputable assessment providers provide comprehensive assessments to help you understand your cognitive, academic, emotional, and behavioral functioning. These assessments are also an excellent way to explore the signs of giftedness, memory and learning processes, and language skills.
Once you have completed the psychoeducational assessment, you can receive recommendations to determine your educational needs. This may prove helpful as you decide how best to spend your post-secondary schooling years.
Prepare for the PSAT
The PSAT, or Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Program Qualifying Test, is a practice test and preview to the SAT that students take during their junior year of secondary school. It’s easy to assume that ‘practice’ means it’s not important, but that couldn’t be further from the truth, especially for gifted children.
When a high enough score is achieved, the student can become a National Merit Semi-Finalist. They can then qualify as a National Merit Finalist if they meet specific criteria, like good grades. This status can sometimes pave the way for financial scholarships and even free tuition. That’s why preparation can be so important. By preparing for the PSAT in advance, you may stand a better chance of achieving this coveted status.
Plan Early
Most serious college planning begins in the junior year of high school. This is when students identify potential majors and visit colleges. However, you can start planning much earlier. In fact, it’s not uncommon for students to begin planning as early as the ninth grade.
Starting this early allows you to explore interests through extracurricular activities and courses so you can develop a strong academic foundation for your post-secondary and scholarship applications.
Take Advanced Classes
Achieving top scores in regular high school classes is impressive, but even more remarkable is getting great results in advanced classes. If your high school offers AP or honors courses, consider enrolling in these to challenge yourself and get the results you desire. Not only can you be more engaged in learning with like-minded peers, but you can also enjoy the practice as you prepare for SAT subject tests.
Prioritize Your Passion
You can make a wonderful career for yourself by pursuing your passion. Even as you’re working hard to make your resume as desirable as possible to college admissions officers, don’t forget about what you love to do and show that off. When colleges see activities relating to your passions starting from early on, they can see that you’re wholesomely dedicated, rather than just padding your resume for the college’s benefit.
As a gifted teen, you’re in a desirable position to reach your full potential in post-secondary education. Take note of these tips as you prepare for the next stage of schooling so you can set yourself up for success.
