If you're reading this, you're probably all three of these people:

1. A person who is currently a freshman in high school
2. A person who wants to go to college
3. A person who'd like to earn scholarships to help pay for college

But wait a sec. If you're a college-bound high school freshman who wants to be in good position to qualify for scholarships by the time you reach your senior year, why the big stink about high school and freshman year? Shouldn't you be getting college advice?

Your Freshman Grades Matter
The people who don't understand this fact as freshman are the same people who are most likely to panic during their junior and senior years. When you apply to college, the admissions committee will see your freshman grades and make judgments about you based on them. Poor freshman grades will pull down your grade point average, and that's definitely a bad thing.

Imagine that you sit on the admissions committee at a college. It's your job to decide who gets into the college and who doesn't. There are 1000 applications and only 500 seats available. That means that you're going to have to reject a lot of applicants.

You look over the application of Joe Bloggs. His grades are mostly Cs. He has a few Bs. He also has a few Ds and Fs. Are you going to want him to give him a seat at your college? Are you going to want to give him a scholarship? If he didn't do well in high school, how's he going to handle college? Why should you risk it? Why should you give the seat to Joe Bloggs when you have lots of other applications on your desk from students who made As and Bs in high school? Why should you have confidence in Joe when Joe hasn't demonstrated that he has confidence in himself?

Don't give an admissions committee any reason to believe you don't take yourself seriously. Life is all about opportunities and what you do with them. High school is an opportunity. It's a very convenient way to prove to the world that you take yourself seriously, or that you don't. If you don't make the effort to succeed in the opportunities you're given in high school, few people will want to give you opportunities after high school.

Some Other Stuff Might Affect Your Grades
In addition to assignments, quizzes, projects, and tests, there might be other things that will affect your grade in a class. Lots of teachers give credit for participation, especially when it comes to classroom discussion, field trips, or projects. Simply by paying attention, asking a few questions, and answering some questions, you might be adding points to your overall grade.

Attitude is also a big factor with a lot of teachers. While most teachers won't lower your grade if you have an apathetic attitude, some teachers will reward you if you have a good attitude, especially when your grade is right on the borderline.

Finally, some teachers will allow you to do extra credit to earn bonus points. Always take advantage of it if it is offered. It's a great way to boost your grade. The cool thing about extra credit is that if you get something wrong, it won't hurt your grade, but if you get it right, your grade will go up.

Okay, So It's All About Grades?
Plenty of high school is about grades—but grades should reflect your goals, rather than necessarily be your goals. We have some advice on setting goals to help you achieve the broader goal of a college education.