The Importance of the Early High School Years

Setting up Your Future for Success

Coasting through high school and waking up just before your Grade 12 finals to put in some massive last minute effort may seem appealing, but it is shortsighted and unwise! Unless you or your family are abundantly wealthy or you have a really good skill, and you believe that you’ll never need to be concerned with earning a sustainable income, you need to be aware of the importance of the impact of your early high school years on your future success, not only financially or from a networking point of view, but also in terms of growth and development.

Here’s Why Your Early High School Years Matter

Much of what you’ll need to learn for Grade 12 builds on the foundational knowledge you gain in Grades 9 to 11 (and earlier). These grades help build the knowledge you need to base your Grade 12 material on. If you don’t pay attention throughout your early high school years, it will create challenges for you later on.

If you intend to study at university, your Grade 11 marks are vitally important. You could possibly use these marks initially when applying for your degree or diploma of choice.

Granted, your Grade 11 marks are likely to only give you provisional acceptance, and you would still need to excel in your Grade 12 finals, but it gives you a bit of breathing room in Grade 12 if you have a solid Grade 11 foundation—like a head start. You’d have to perform quite poorly in Grade 12 to lose your provisional acceptance.

Is All Lost If You Don’t Do Well In Grade 11 & 12?

Does that mean that if you do badly in Grade 11 and extremely well in Grade 12, you won’t get an opportunity to attend university? Not exactly, but you’ll have to wait in line. You may have to defer your studies for a year due to those with early acceptance getting preference, and improve on your marks even more.

If you are struggling to get the marks you need to do well in high school, consider getting help sooner rather than later. BrightSparkz Tutors can help you with our tutoring services to achieve the results you need with a hand-picked tutor, especially for you. Your tutor may also be able to guide and advise you about university life, as they may be studying themselves or be a graduate who has been through it all.

Another bonus! Early application with Grade 11 results will give you the option to apply for bursaries or scholarships, as well as one of the limited spaces in a university residence of your choice.

Practice Makes Perfect!

Taking your high school years seriously and putting in your best effort serves as a “practice run” for your final year and will make your life a lot easier in Grade 12 too. This will help you prepare and identify gaps in your knowledge, along with instilling self-discipline. These are both things you’ll need, not only for Grade 12, but also for study at university or college.

Use your high school years to put some serious thought into your future—what are you planning to study? Where would you like to study if you’re accepted? Are your marks good enough in the correct subjects to study what you’d like to do, and are you choosing the correct subjects you’ll need to enter university? If you need to make a change, the beginning of Grade 11 is the latest we’d advise.

Read more: Blanking out during exams

How Do I Set Myself Up For Success?

Now that you realise the importance of grades 9 to 11, what can you do to improve your chances of success for the future you want?

Develop a plan: Put yourself ahead of thousands of your peers who will compete with you for university places and jobs after school. You will still need to compete for employment, both in Canada and abroad, even if you do not intend to study further after school.
Start building your resume: School leavers and even new graduates often struggle to obtain employment as they have no work experience. When you are still at school, it can be difficult to get relevant work experience, but it can be done. Here’s how:

Job Shadowing

You’re in luck if your school promotes a “Job Shadowing” project and you should participate wholeheartedly. Job Shadowing is an opportunity for high schoolers to spend a week (often during the summer break) shadowing the type of work they’d like to do (preferably) in an organization that is willing to engage with school learners in this manner.

If your school does not promote this initiative, be proactive and approach some companies yourself to organise it. You could volunteer at a company you think you’d like to work for too. You may even be paid if you do a great job, but the experience will be invaluable in providing you with insight into working life and whether you’re suited to a certain type of work. Bear in mind that some companies might not agree to your request, but keep trying.

You can ask your family, your friends’ parents, your parents’ friends, or your guidance and career studies teacher for companies they may know who may be willing to give you an opportunity for job shadowing. Once you know who you’d like to approach, do it personally, either via email, phone call, or visit. Do not let your parents ask for you; you are the one who needs to do the work, and it demonstrates maturity and proactiveness.

When you get the opportunity, treat it as a proper job. If everyone starts work at 8am sharp, make sure that you are ready to start work at that time. Do what you are told to do as well as you can. Do not walk around with your cell phone hanging from your hand. Be observant, and help wherever you can.

References Are Valuable

At the end of the week, ask for a reference. Hopefully it will be a good one. Perhaps it will even open the door for you once you finish school for a job opportunity or even a scholarship or bursary in the field of study. Add the reference to your resume!

Don’t expect payment. You’re getting something better than payment—a free experience. Payment is a bonus!

Accumulate other valuable references from doing weekend work or part-time jobs. Anything that sets you apart from the masses will be to your benefit. Even working as a waitress or waiter and being on time and diligent can earn you a good reference as someone who is reliable and learns fast.

Volunteer!

Volunteering for community service work may also lead to some great references for you. Some opportunities for this kind of volunteering includes religious organisations, holiday clubs or even orphanages. Most of your peers will not do this, and it will set you apart.

Try to keep your volunteering endeavours relevant to what you want to do. For instance, volunteering at an animal shelter or landing a weekend job at the local vet can improve your chances of being accepted into veterinary studies. You will have relevant experience and be showing a keen interest when selections for places are made.

Putting It All Together

Putting some thought into your future after school can go a long way in determining your success. You are encouraged to start as early as Grade 9! BrightSparkz Tutors offers an incredible course to prepare school and university leavers to get the best possible start when entering the working world. Find out more about our Get Work Ready course for a smooth transition from learning to earning!

If you want to improve your marks (and increase your chance of getting into a great university), get a tutor or invest just 2 hours in a Study Skills Crash Course!