Midterm Paper: Letter to High School Sophomore

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Letter to High School Sophomore
Hello,
I hope this finds you well. I believe you have settled into the high school system and things are beginning to make more sense to you. You have put aside the blonde moments as a freshman, and definitely, there is that feeling of increased acclimatization with the environment. Time indeed flies! As a sophomore, I can only imagine what you are going through. A lot of things happening all around as well as within. You are certainly experiencing a lot more than you had ever experienced at a go. As days go by, a lot more will be learnt. With some foresight, you can definitely see that college isn’t very far away. Each year that you complete in high school, brings you closer and closer here. This calls for some preparation in terms of knowing the anticipated challenges as well as the positives of life over here.
Preparation
In your preparation for the college life ahead, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind. Joining college is not a matter of educational or academic progression only. It is also a matter of physical, emotional and psychological growth. There are various things that you can do in this line. For a start, have a preview of what lies ahead. Get a rough idea of what goes on in college. This can be done by accessing various sources of literature related to college. Books and magazines can be a nice place to start, as they provide basic information about the same. These sources can help you have an overview of aspects such as dealing with roommates, how to handle a backlog of work and assignments, as well as the major and crucial decisions that abound.
The most important bit of preparation however, is the revisit of what you really want to take on as a career. You need to have a clear picture of your target career. This will help you select the required units as well as the additional bonuses. Additionally, revisiting will act as a reminder for you once you get in, so that you don’t lose track of your goals.
Challenges
Everyone has got unique challenges when it comes to life in college. There are however those challenges that are common amongst almost all the students here. The major one is peer pressure. So many of my friends have succumbed to peer pressure. It is sad to see a very focused and brilliant individual turn into a chronic alcoholic, or worse still, drug addict. On the other hand, it is annoying to have a roommate who is either or both. Peer pressure is a result of a combination of various changes both within and outside an individual. One experiences psychological and emotional changes, flanked with physical developments as well. All this turmoil around an individual predisposes one to peer influence and subsequent engagement in negativities. It calls for a lot of self-discipline and restraint to keep on track as to what college is all about.
The other challenge is how to deal with the increased freedom provided. This in turn hits on punctuality and consistency. There comes a time in school when everything seems to be against you. Too much work to do, coupled with assignments, then combined with leisure activities. There is too much pressure that sometimes one can fall into the trap of g...