5 Ways to Be a Successful High School Equivalency Student

5 Ways to Be Successful

image from iClipart for Schools

It happens. You drop out of high school. Down the road, you need to pick up the pieces, but you aren't sure where to start. Each state has their own program designed to help students who have dropped out of a traditional high school get their high school credential. Here are five steps that you can do, no matter where you live, to help be successful in high school.

1. Be ready
2. Know your support system
3. Recognize barriers
4. Attend class regularly
5. Look ahead

Be ready

The only person who knows if you're truly ready to embark on the journey to finishing high school is you. You need to decide if you want to accept the help that adult high school programs can provide. The programs can guide you, but you're the one doing the work - so you need to be ready.

Know you support system

Connect. Connect with family, friends, mentors, teachers, counselors, pastors, and classmates. If you don't already have a great one, find or make a support system. Use the support system that will help propel you forward. It might be hard to ask for help, but those people who are truly supporting you will gladly offer their support. 

Recognize barriers

Recognize that there will be barriers to success, but have a plan for encountering those barriers. If there are things you are doing, people you associate with, or crisis that you might face, what can you do to confront them - and then move past them?

Attend class regularly

One of the surest ways to have a support system is to attend your classes regularly. Regularly means that you are in class at least 95% of the time. That means that out of 10 days of class, you're present at least 9 1/2 days!

Look ahead

Set a goal for yourself beyond getting the diploma. Where do you want to go next? What's your next adventure? Sure, you want to get the diploma, but you'll get it much faster if you know what your next step is.