3 Relationship Mistakes to Avoid in High School

Do you know the 3 relationship mistakes that most high school students make?  These are the relationship mistakes that you must avoid at all costs.

 

Yes, good grades, test scores, and staying on top of your homework assignments are great attributes for college. However, maintaining the right relationships and avoiding these 3 relationship mistakes in high school is critical. Most people don’t know how important high school relationships are until it’s too late!

You are going to learn that high school relationships are invaluable and how to maintain your high school relationships.

After learning all about the importance of high school relationships and how to avoid common relationship mistakes, you will have the social skills to build relationships at your dream college or job.

This post is about the 3 relationship mistakes to avoid in high school.

Top 3 Relationship Mistakes to Avoid in High School

 

 

Not taking time to get to know your teachers

Do you take the opportunity to sit in front of the class? The students that choose to sit in the back of the class are usually less engaged. Your teacher may assume that you are not interested in the course because you are always sitting in the back row.

Do you ask questions in class? Do you take time to research your class subject or study beyond your class textbook? The best way to capture your teacher’s attention is to be interested in the subject matter.

Visit your teachers before or after school or during lunch. This could be the perfect time to ask questions about your class and your teacher.

Was there something in class that you needed a deeper understanding of? Maybe you did some additional research on a topic and want to share your findings with your teacher.

This is a great time for you to find out why your teachers chose to pursue studies in the area that they teach. Ask your teacher about their career path. If you are considering a career in the same area or a similar area, ask for some pointers.

Teachers that enjoy their profession usually stay connected in the profession. Your teacher may know where you can gain some valuable career experience while in high school or if any of the professional organizations offer scholarships for college.

After you have established a relationship with your teachers, they will be more comfortable recommending you for a summer program, a scholarship, or that dream school you want to attend. Yes, eventually you will need a recommendation and you want a recommendation from someone that you have a relationship with.

Keep in contact with your teachers throughout high school, even though you may no longer have that teacher. It’s a good idea to continue to keep in contact with your teachers even while in college, I’m sure your former teachers will have some useful real world advice to share.

While on college break, why not take some extra time and visit your former high school and check in with your former teachers. Teachers love to see and hear about their former students. These teachers can still write recommendations for you, even though you are in college.

Matter of fact, your high school teacher may be able to write a more compelling recommendation than your freshman professors. College classes are a lot larger than high school classes, so your college English class could have more than 300 students. Your college professor may not know your name, let alone all your scholastic abilities.

It may be more challenging trying to get in contact with your college professor and expect them to write a personal and compelling recommendation. It is important to have relationships with your college professors too, but it will take time.

You never know when you may need clarification on a topic that was covered in high school or a recommendation. As you can see there are several reasons to build relationships with your high school teachers.

 

 

Not visiting your high school counselor often

Most high school counselors will not have time to come find you and take the initiative to get to know you. They are overwhelmed! Most school counselors have an average of 450 students on their caseload. So in their defense, it can be difficult for them to personally know every student on their caseload

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Okay, so you have your class schedule for the year, so you are probably thinking why do I need to visit my school counselor? It may be hard to believe, but counselors do more than create class schedules. Your counselor should play a key role in your college admissions process.

Yes, your counselor could potentially play a major role in helping you achieve your education and career goals. This is why you must visit your counselor and establish a relationship. You should go to your counselor and introduce yourself and tell them some important facts about yourself. Tell them your name and tell them about your interests. Your interests should include your future college and career goals, as well as your hobbies and extracurricular activities.

How often should you visit your counselor? That depends on the student honestly. If you are a junior or senior then you should visit your counselor frequently, but I will explain that later. I would suggest most students should visit their counselors at least once a month.

Your visit should be brief unless you are dealing with some issues. Remember I said that most counselors are overwhelmed. If your counselor is available, just remind them of your name and let them know how things are going and if you need any assistance with finding a summer program or gaining career experience.

Maybe you need help with choosing a career or help with your college choices. Your counselor can help you with career assessments and keep you abreast of all the local college fairs. They can help you get a head start on the next phase of your life.

School counselors are very resourceful. A lot of important information comes across their desk and they receive a plethora of information on internships, summer programs, and scholarships. Unfortunately, this information may not be distributed to everyone—-remember I said the counselor’s average caseload is 450 students. If your counselor has a relationship with you, when opportunities come across their desk, you want them to think of you.

Your counselor may expose you to new things that you didn’t know exist, such as high school research or community service projects

In the near future, you may need a recommendation from your counselor. If you have not taken the time to build a relationship with your counselor, it could present a problem for your counselor. The counselor may choose not to write the recommendation or may write a generic recommendation.

Counselors are asked to write recommendations all the time. So it is important that your counselor knows who you are, knows your academic abilities, and your short and long-term goals.

Whether you need help with career shadowing, finding scholarships, or a last minute letter of recommendation now is the time to build a relationship with your counselor.

 

 

Having a weak Social Game

Take time to get to know your classmates. Get to know the students you speak to in passing or from social media, but take it to a deeper level. You may be thinking there is no need to build any more friendships at school. You already have your core group of friends. Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! There are a lot of good reasons on why you need to step up your social game.

This is the time to meet new people or get to know some of your associates better. Try being more inclusive, everyone wants to feel included. Try sitting at a different desk in class and take the opportunity to introduce yourself to the student sitting next to you. Find out what their interests are, who knows maybe you two have something in common. At lunchtime, try sitting with a new student or a new group of people or switch up your study group.

It’s time to mingle with the masses. The first time may be hard but make it a priority to have in-depth conversations with at least five new people. You don’t have to be best friends with your new associates. However, you really need to commit to reaching outside of your comfort zone and commit to meeting new people.

Meeting and mingling with a variety of students in high school will help you when you are at college with 30,000 other students. By the time you get to college, you will be able to go up to anyone and start a conversation.

Your social life will be extremely important in college. When you are able to appear friendly and be friendly, more people will see you as approachable. If you are able to connect with people and have a diverse group of friends, this will only enhance your college experience.

Neglecting to nurture relationships in high school is the worst mistake a student can make. The majority of students wait until their senior year of high school to establish or strengthen their relationships. Relationships take time and take months to cultivate, a great way to build relationships is to start your freshman year.

Whether you are completing college applications, applying for scholarships, or internships, a strong recommendation from your teacher or counselor goes a long way. Relationships may not seem like a big deal now but adulting is all about relationships. The bottom line is having the ability to make new friends and socialize with people from various backgrounds will be an asset in college and in the workplace.

 

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to undervalue the importance of relationships. It is important to gain valuable skills now that you can use in college. Now that you are able to build relationships with anyone, you will be one step closer to succeeding in college and your future career.