Because high school reflects your future, not that it is the end all be all, but rather that each year of high school culminates into your alma mater, and the difference between a Cornell, a Notre Dame, a Dartmouth and a Monmouth, a Marymount, a Duquesne is astoundingly large.

In regards to subject matter, freshman year is likely the easiest. If you can excel easily, then why not? (Especially if this year will eventually contribute to your high school GPA.)

There shouldn’t be an “off year” in high school. There aren’t any “off years” in life– unless of course, you count childhood and retirement. Everything in between is quite frankly the most busy, and hopefully productive, time. It is those that hit the ground running that succeed.

Have you ever tried running a lengthy distance but stopping halfway? It is far more difficult to start running again rather than running the whole distance through.

The GPA you send to colleges will be:

• Freshman Year; this is where people show their true colors, when nobody’s watching.
• Sophomore Year; you will fail chemistry. Assume this.
• Junior Year; making up for a horrifying sophomore year. Possibly enduring an existential crisis if you’re not entirely sure what you’d like to take up for your major.

The GPA colleges barely care about:

• Senior Year; hakuna matata. Play lots of walleyball. Don’t fail.

That’s it. The first three years are the most important, the last is the least. Trying in those first three years is by far the most important. GPA is how you show whether you’re diligent, responsible, and consistently strong.

High school isn’t a measure of intelligence. The SAT and ACT aren’t IQ tests, GPA doesn’t measure how fast you can divide 2 by 1. It’s about diligence, intelligence gets in the way as often as it helps.

For best results: don’t stop.
Don’t Panic.