High school brings with it competing demands for your attention in the form of club choices, academic goals, sports, volunteerism, friendships, and more, depending on your interests. When you feel pulled in so many directions, having clarity about what matters most to you will make the otherwise impossible task of prioritizing entirely achievable. That’s why we’ve rounded up our top four exercises to help you find your true north — to discover your priorities and personal values. Try one or do all four to create a personalized guide to being true to yourself as you navigate high school.
The Values Exercise
This exercise from our College Admissions experts is best approached without overthinking. From our list of over 100 values, you’ll identify your top 3. Come back to the list regularly for a gut check and to take note as your sensibilities evolve with everything you’ll learn over the next few years.
The Motivation Statement
Many students end up struggling to work toward goals that feel disconnected from their deeper motivators. If you want a particular GPA or are pushing yourself to excel at a specific extracurricular activity, it’s worth taking a moment to ask yourself why that’s important to you. When the time comes to push through challenges on the way to achieving your goals, you’ll draw energy from knowing exactly how your short-term goals are putting you on a path to reaching your dreams. On the flip side, there is an opportunity to reframe undue stress related to goals that you can’t connect to your motivation statement.
Try the Motivation Statement ⇒
The Affirmation Exercise
One way to resist the urge to compare yourself to others during high school is to consistently remind yourself of your strengths. To do that, we love a personal affirmation statement. This exercise was designed to help students overcome nerves around big tests, but you can easily modify it for life in general or specific situations. Once you have an affirmation, say it often and say it out loud to keep your confidence up as you make your way through new challenges.
Try the Affirmation Exercise ⇒
The Life Path Quiz
Career Explorer is a fun and free way to learn about possibilities for your future and unique traits that might not otherwise occur to you. After answering questions about what you would like or hate to do, you’ll get a wealth of information: a list of standout characteristics, possible careers, ideas for learning pathways and degrees, a trait report, and a personality report. No, it’s not definitive, and yes, you might take issue with some of the suggestions, but it’s empowering to think of all of the ways you can make your way in the world.
As a bonus activity, take all of your findings from the above exercises, and make a vision board of You. In the end, remember that education is the pursuit of your greatest potential, and you are exactly the right person to know what that means. Looking for extra guidance on how to apply your personal values and priorities in crafting a class schedule, a college list, an overall high school strategy, and more? Contact us or reach out to your Director of Client Services to set up a free consultation.
