Tests, Sports, Drama, Oh My! High school can be one of the toughest times of our lives. From AP tests and college preparation to sports and fitting in, high school has it all. But how do we balance it? Sometimes it’s really hard, and other times juggling everything is easy. How do you want to be remembered at Air Academy? Following are some ways to make high school a little easier on everyone.

Schedule Your Homework

Make sure that you prioritize your tasks according to their importance and due dates. For example, completing your homework for the following day would probably be at the top of your list, while working on a paper that is due a few days later would be next in line. Choose what classes you’ll work on during each day of the week. This helps you stay more focused within a particular field, and can help you retain information better. Use a day planner to set up a specific block of time daily for your schoolwork. This will help you build a habit and ensure you have plenty of time to get your work done. Schedule in some free time as well to ensure that you get some time for sports and other activities.

Participate in Activities that Make You Happy

There’s nothing wrong with going to a party or hanging out with friends, as long as you don’t feel forced into it. Don’t succumb to peer pressure because you want to fit in or be cool, do what makes you happy. Before you start trying to balance your social life with your academics, make sure the things that comprise your social life are activities you actually want to take part in. Focus on things that bring you enjoyment and a welcome distraction from your schoolwork. Maybe try some new activities.

Avoid Becoming Overwhelmed

School life involves so many opportunities for taking a part-time job to joining different clubs or hanging out with different people. You should know when to say no to certain activities so as not to feel overwhelmed. It is ok to cancel going out to the movies with friends in order to rest. Though difficult, it is important to be selfish with your energy and time. Paying attention to how you feel allows you to achieve better your goals without feeling pressured. Put time aside for having fun but be realistic when planning it.

When asking the Kadet community what their thoughts were, many agreed that being successful in high school isn’t easy. Christian Gatlin, A local Air Academy Kadet believes that the key to being successful in High School is to “Work as hard as possible for the four years of high school, but still having fun while you do it.”  Another Kadet, Jacob Martino claims that he wants to be remembered as a student that is “very kind and helpful towards others, I want people to remember how positive my legacy was.” It is important to remember that academics isn’t everything and that everyone should strive to be a high achiever in something that they love. Balancing high school may be rough, but once you figure it out it will help you succeed now and most definitely in the future.

Photo of Air Academy’s courtyard via Cole Pearne