High school students have so many different options when deciding which direction to take. There are countless things to consider when planning for the future and many steps to take to reach your goals. I switched schools going into my sophomore year of high school; I went from knowing everyone to knowing no one. I wasn’t focused on making friends. I did horribly my freshman year with a 1.9 GPA, and I planned to focus on school for the following years, not play.

Even though there can be a healthy balance in both, I never found myself getting involved in extracurricular activities. I decided to dedicate a full year to just my schoolwork and once I boosted my GPA, get more involved. I studied really hard and my GPA is now a solid 3.5. Any free time I had, I would hang out with old friends instead of new people I met at my school. I went to Homecoming and a few football games, but to cut it short, high school was never my cup of tea.

My mom noticed my sense of “senioritis” came early. I talked to my school counselor and that’s when I decided I wanted to graduate early. Everyone has choices; you have to do things that fit you and fit your best interests. I decided to dual enroll. Instead of attending high school, I complete all my classes at a community college and gain both high school and college credit. It’s great because I can earn college credit for free because, technically, I’m still considered a high school student.

If you’re like me, this may be a good option for you as well. If you want to get a head start but don’t want to miss out on all the fun of senior year with your friends, you may be able to dual enroll in some classes and take high school classes too. You also may have the option of taking advanced classes to get college credit. Talking to your counselor is a great idea; they know about lots of different opportunities that may be a good match for you.

I’m also hoping for Early Admission to Broward College. With early admission, you aren’t just handed things, you have to work hard. Early admission may be the path I hope to follow. It’s much like deciding you want to go to a certain college. I have to take a college placement test at Broward College to see if I meet the requirements. I also have to maintain at least a 3.0 academic core GPA.

There are a lot of other factors that play a part in reaching my goals. I’m still taking classes, thinking about scholarships, and taking the ACT, because it’s good to have options in case I change my mind.

Whatever path you decide to take, whether it’s getting into your dream college or going to a technical school, you have to put all your focus and hard work on it if it’s truly what you want.