What High School Taught Me (Beyond the Classroom)

As a recent high school graduate headed off to college, I decided to share some things I learned throughout the past four years--overarching lessons--not Newton's Third Law or calculating p-values, even though they are quite interesting. ;)

1. Keep your mind open to future career options. This is something I did not really do and would definitely do if I could go back in time. Ever since kindergarten, I wanted to be an elementary school teacher. So much so that I would take extra copies of worksheets home and play pretend school. All the way up until senior year, my mind was fixated upon that one career. This past year, things changed and I began to investigate other (yet similar) careers. That is when becoming a physics teacher became my plan. A special thanks to my high school physics teacher for introducing me to the idea, as well as my gifted project (working in a second grade classroom) for reinforcing the change in plans. Additionally, I realized that physics was something that clicked with me and being a teacher of the subject would help me reach higher positions in the field of education. Long story short: make yourself open to a variety of career options until you find the one perfect for you.

2. Get involved. There's probably many people or sites out there that tell you this same exact tip, but it cannot be overlooked. Getting involved in high school, especially in the music department, allowed me to create so many memories and friendships. If it weren't for the music department, I would not have made lifelong friendships or have been able to march down Main Street and sing in Disney!  Getting involved helps break up the boring, monotonous routine of getting up, going to school, coming home, doing homework, going to bed, and doing it all again the next day. Becoming involved adds excitement and novelty to a rather repetitive schedule. Being involved can also enhance performance in the classroom. I read here that, "A higher percentage of music participants received As, As/Bs, and Bs than non-music participants." (And some people want to cut music/art programs?? Crazy!) And of course, involvement goes beyond musical groups and includes clubs, sports, and outside-of-school activities. 

3. Take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way. In high there are many opportunities to explore your passions and add to your high school experience. If one comes your way, take advantage of it, even if at first it seems new or frightening. After all, you miss 100% of the shots you don't take! During my senior year, I was selected to participate in our state senator's Model Senate program, through which high school students in my area got together to formulate, debate, and vote on policy. It was definitely a new experience and was very nerve-racking as I looked around at all these high schoolers who were fiercely passionate about their political beliefs. And even though I had to debate with and speak in front of all of these students, (something I was very hesitant about), it was an eye-opening experience into the world of politics that will stay with me for a long time. So make sure to take advantage of each opportunity, for you never know what you could take away from them!

4. Don't be afraid to stand out. As Dr. Seuss famously stated, "Why fit in when you were born to stand out?" In high school (and pretty much for the rest of your life), society will always define a "cool" thing to be or a "cool" thing to do, which is complete and utter nonsense. Don't let people tell you that you need to act or look a certain way in order to be deemed "cool." Better yet, don't let your own self tell you that you are less than best because you don't do what the "populars" do! Each of us were fearfully and wonderfully made to be our own, unique, and individual self. So don't fall under the influence of peer pressure, telling you that you have go to parties and drink alcohol or that you have to have so many followers on social media. Be yourself! If you want to stay inside all night and study, do it!We were all made for a unique purpose--don't let that purpose become obscured by trying to do the "cool" thing!

5. Have fun. Of course this is cliché and everyone tells you to have fun, but just as before, it cannot be overlooked! You'll meet some of your lifelong friends in high school and before you know it, you'll all be going your own separate ways. Therefore, make the most of the time you have together! Hang out whenever you can. (I personally enjoy meeting up at Applebee's for half-price apps--who doesn't love friends and food?!) Don't take things too seriously that you forget to have fun along the way--even though grades and schooling should be taken very seriously--find a balance!

High school is truly what you what you make it--so make it the best it can be! Hope these lessons help! :)

Sincerely,

Meet Scholly + How to Rock that Scholarship Essay

This post is in no way endorsed or sponsored by Scholly. All opinions are those of my own.

Let's face it: college is expensive. However, there are ways to lessen the stress on your wallet (& yourself!). That's where Scholly comes in.

SOURCE

Scholly is a website (and app!) that allows you to search for both merit-based and need-based scholarships. By inputting information about yourself such as name, grade level, grade point average, and major, among others things, Scholly analyzes its database to find scholarships fit for you. You can then look through your "matched scholarships" and read the descriptions of each. If you find one that interests you, you can save it to your "saved scholarships." Each scholarship posted has a link to its corresponding website, which outlines the details of the scholarship.

Registration costs $2.99, but based on my experience with Scholly thus far, it was completely worth the money. I first came across this program on Shark Tank, one of my favorite TV shows. Christopher Gray, the founder and CEO of Scholly, gave a compelling presentation on the show, which led me to download the app and begin taking advantage of those scholarship opportunities! I'm waiting to hear back about the first few scholarships that I completed applications for, but the benefits go beyond just the possibility of earning money. Applying for scholarships helps sharpen your writing skills, seeing as most scholarships require the submission of an essay on a particular topic. The essay subjects can be diverse, ranging from academic/career goals to your favorite small business.

Writing essays can be tiresome and time-consuming, but if you can rock it, you can turn that hard work into money. And so I bring you...

1. Start with an intriguing hook that draws the reader in. The reader(s) of your essay need to be captivated from the beginning so they are encouraged to keep reading. Like it or not, they have every right to trash your essay and entire application if they are not hooked from the beginning. So, if you're going to put work into your essay, make sure it's enticing to your audience! Here's a way to do so:

• Do not start your essay off by simply rewording the question. For example, if the essay question is "What is your favorite small business?", do not start off your essay with "My favorite small business is _____________." That's boring. Instead, add some interesting details about the business first that readers may not know or describe your favorite item that the business sells. No matter what the topic is about, begin your essay in a way that captures the reader's attention. As you progress through your essay, make sure you keep that attention!

2. Use sophisticated words. You want your essay to sound professional since you are giving the readers a glimpse into your skills. Show those readers how intelligent you are! That does not mean that you need to know twenty-letter words to integrate into your essay. That is where you need to use your resources (i.e. thesaurus.com). Rather than use basic, everyday words like good, walk, and a lot, elevate them to more powerful words like outstanding, venture, and plethora. By using such words throughout your essay, you are able to transmit a sense of sophistication and intelligence through your work. In turn, the impressed readers will take note and remember your essay.

3. Keep it concise and focused. This tip is key. If you ramble on about something completely unrelated to the topic, your application could be disqualified or trashed. You want to be sure to directly answer the topic to the best of your ability in the amount of words you've been given. (Most scholarships usually give a specific range or minimum/maximum amount of words--be sure to find this number or range out before you begin! You do not want to be disqualified for something so simple! That said, be sure to strictly follow the word range or number.) It can be difficult to keep your essay short, especially if you are passionate about a topic and have a lot to say. Here are some ways to keep the essay concise and focused:

• PLAN: Make a game plan for your essay before you write it out, mapping out the main points. Doing so will keep you from going off-topic and allow to say what you want to and get out!
• CHECK: After you've written a few sentences, check the word count to see how far you have to go. It's way better to adjust your essay as you write rather than write the entire essay and then realize you are over by one hundred words! (Trust me, it could happen.)
• AVOID: Avoid repetition. If you already mentioned something, do not spend valuable time or space discussing it again later in the essay. The readers will get bored and/or annoyed. The only reasons for pulling a previous topic back into the essay are for emphasis or concluding. This is something very difficult to avoid, since it can be very difficult to catch yourself repeating. I've struggled with this one a lot when writing.
• REVISIT: After each of your main points, be sure to revisit the topic sentence. If the prompt is about your favorite business, after you spend time describing the great food, be sure to close out the main idea by saying that is a reason why it is your favorite small business. Make sure to change up the phrasing to avoid repetition! Doing so will help you stay focused and remind the readers what the whole essay is about.

4. Finish off with an elevated conclusion. The conclusion is the one sentence that the readers will be left with, so make sure it leaves them in awe of your power. You want to connect to the captivating hook (see tip #1), but also want to summarize everything you've talked about in the body of your essay. In other words, you want to say to the readers: "Here's the main takeaway(s) from my essay and here is why it matters to you and me." To elevate the conclusion beyond simply rewording the topic sentence, think about why everything you have said matters to readers and why it is important to you. How has the small business (staying with the sample topic) impacted yourself and others in your community? Overall, in your conclusion, you want to explain the significance of your topic while incorporating the most important points.

5. Proofread...and proofread again. Once you've finished writing your stellar essay, proofread it to catch the tiny spelling or grammatical errors! DO NOT simply write the essay and submit it! Peruse the essay to catch errors and have someone else read it, just to be safe!

There you have it, folks! Scholly is the place to find scholarship opportunities to help cut down the insane costs of getting a college education. Check out their website here!

And if the essay requirements are stressing you out, use these five tips! Have any other tidbits for students or have a question about scholarships and essays? Feel free to comment below!

Sincerely,

Ten Facts about Me

Hello and welcome to my blog, Call Me CAM! I'm Cameron and I am super glad that you're here! I plan to blog about a little bit of everything, from inspiration to college 101, as I journey through my collegiate years and beyond. I figured I would begin this blog the right way: by giving some facts about the guy behind it!

1. I'm eighteen-years-old.

2. I graduated as valedictorian of my high school class. I guess I could be classified as a "nerd"--the cool type, obviously. ;)

3. I'm working toward a Bachelor's degree in physics and secondary education, with the goal of becoming a high school physics teacher. I then plan on climbing up the ranks to ultimately become the superintendent of a school district.

4. I became an uncle at the age of ten. At first I believed I was way too young to take on such a role, but looking back, I would not change it for a thing!

5. I have a unique obsession with school supplies...or buying school supplies and getting insanely good deals on them. July-September is the most wonderful time of the year, right?! (For example, today I scored Crayola Colored Pencils for 50 cents. Talk about a good deal!)

6. I love the arts and believe that they need to be an integral part of school curricula. I've been in several art classes as well as band, chorus, and musicals and their impact on my life has been indescribable.

7. If you asked me to name my favorite place to eat, I couldn't narrow it down to one, so here are some of my favorites: Penn Grille Restaurant, Moe's, Cracker Barrel, and Texas Roadhouse.

8. I'm a small group leader in the kids' ministry at my church and it is one of my favorite things. Better yet, I started leading when I was in my early teenage years. Don't let anyone tell you that you're too young to change the world! 

9. My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving because I love Thanksgiving food (especially green bean casserole), traveling to my grandparents' house, and having the anticipation of knowing that Christmas is a month away! Don't get me wrong: I love Christmas, but once that is over, the holiday season is pretty much over too. And that makes me sad.

10. I'm no stranger to the blogging business, as I started one up in middle school, but didn't continue with it. In the midst of a homework-free summer and on the brink of starting college, I'll have more time on my hands to blog and I'm determined to stick with it!

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Thanks for reading and beginning this journey with me! I hope you'll stick around (a new post each Tuesday!) as we travel through this crazy whirlwind known as life!

Sincerely,