A Friendly Warning

Years of experience informs this warning: If you are one of those extremely involved people--one who not only gets straight As but also plays in the band, dances in holiday ballets, and participates in every conceivable extra-curricular activity at school--then you should brace yourself during the next month or so. There is so much going on that if you don't prioritize, you may get overwhelmed by the assignments for this class and give up on it, and this could be a decision you regret later on. The ninth grade "honors" credit on your report card may not seem like such a big deal right now, but four years from now when you are trying to get into that Ivy League college or applying for a scholarship from the national honor society, it could make a big difference.

I encourage you to be involved in many things, but present involvement at the expense of future opportunity may not be worth it. Every year between second and third terms (when the school musical is in production), a significant percentage of the honors students drop out of the class, claiming that they just have too much else to do. Since it is an optional class, there's nothing I can do to prevent the exodus, but I know that many of these students later wonder if three months worth of after-school practices in preparation for four performances was worth the loss of an academic credit that would have stayed on their record until college.

Don't bite off more than you can chew...or, if you must, plan to spend a few extra nights and weekends working to maintain the commitments that may mean more later on.

MRT