When You're On Your Own or 

the Same As

        (Click here to go to these sections)

General Information

The Tools You'll Need

 Get Yourself To The Library

Advanced Coursework

Testing

If you need remedial work

 College Bill Woes

  
  Internet Sites -- Resources

General Information

You’re in high school. For whatever the reason you are on your own or close to it. It may be that no one in your family has ever gone to high school so you receive little or no support in search for a better or higher education. It may be that you are on your own, or close to it, financially. It may be up to you to keep a roof over your head and food on the table and still go to high school. You may even be responsible for younger brothers and sisters or your own child.

Is it fair that you are going to have to work harder to succeed in high school, college and in life? No, it’s not. But it is the fact. You will need to acquire a strong set of survival skills to attain your goals. But especially, if you do not have a strong support structure around you, you will have a lot of extra work to do on your own.

The main things you are going to have to do for yourself is to ask for help and find an adult you can trust to help you through the tough spots -- to be your cheering section. Ask till you find someone who you trust and is willing to help you.

If you are presently in a dangerous living

 situation – get out. Find someone you trust –

 get out and get safe.

Besides your local public library, there are other resources for you. Go to the local YMCA, your neighborhood youth clubs, Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs for support and help.

Try and get some sleep and try and get good nutrition as best you can. You have a lot going on, but little or no sleep means not able to study as well or efficiently as you would otherwise. Junk food means your body and your brain aren’t going to function as well as they could. Also not chronic not enough sleep and proper nutrition is setting yourself up to get sick. Check into your school’s free breakfast and lunch programs.

If you are concerned about your quality of education, there may be a charter school in near your neighborhood that may be able to meet your needs. Charter schools are public schools – they are free to you. These schools operate independent of local school districts and are often geared to a high level of academic achievement and success.

Other options that may be open to you are private schools that may be in your area that offer scholarships to goal-oriented kids looking for other options.

If everything falls apart, not all is lost. Go to your local library and find out where the closest GED classes are held. These classes are free. Your GED can be your ticket into college. Just don’t give up. 

The Tools You'll Need

How do you get through high school and then college and how do you then gather the tools you’ll need to take out into the world after college?

·          Be a class act.

·          Go to class all the time and be on time.

           Participate in discussions – this is your ownership in the course.

           Believe that you can do it.

          Surround yourself with people who also believe you can do it.

·          Be a cheerleader to those who need it.

·          Be a good friend.

·          Find a strong support structure.

·          Study – no one is going to give you anything for free.

·          Get the best grades possible.

·          Get to know your professors.

·          Learn from your experiences.

·          If you are active in a religion, try and stay involved.

·          Work on making good life choices regarding: relationships, sex, alcohol, drugs, ethical questions,

·          Be yourself – but you have to know yourself first.

·          Learn to resolve conflicts constructively.

           Actions have consequences – good or bad positive/negative.

If there is no one who can be tough on you to keep you on track, you’re going to be tough on yourself. Keep on track. Of yourself, expect the best. Of others, expect and demand the best. You deserve it.

Advanced Coursework

If your school can’t afford advanced coursework, a way to manage it may be to take those classes over the Internet. Since the school district can’t’ afford entire classes, they may be able to afford the Internet classes. And you should be able to take these classes at school -- even if you have to sit in the counselors' office to do it. If not, get yourself to your public library. 
Check it out!

        Get Yourself To The Library

What happens if you are not in a high school situation that offers you the opportunity to engage in a rigorous academic environment? What if you live in an area that is so economically depressed some households don’t even have phone service?

It won’t be easy. It will take true dedication and persistence. First, make your public library your new home. Spend every spare minute there and read. Why read? Because it opens you to the rest of the world and helps you build a strong vocabulary. Get a dictionary and have it be your new best friend. Use the reading list given in the survival section of this site as your basic plan.

 Reading is the most important skill you can gain. Do everything you can to gain that skill and then improve it every day. Reading is the key to the rest of learning and gaining important knowledge and skills.

If the act of reading for comprehension is a problem for you, ask the librarian for learning to read (literacy) help. There are people in the world who want to help you. You do, though, have to take the first step by asking.

If reading is just impossible, see the section on Learning Disabilities earlier in this book and then ask your guidance counselor to get you some help.

A side benefit of spending a lot of study and reading time in the library is that it is warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

As you become more comfortable with your reading list, expand it to include topics in history and science. Get math books from school and ask for help if you need to bring your math skills up.

             

    The Internet and the Library

The International Reading Association    

Your local public library in most probability will have Internet-connected computers. If you can’t get time on your guidance counseling office’s computer, the library might be your best bet. You can do homework, you can study, you can do test preps and college and scholarship searches.

Libraries often have kid-story and/or activity times. If you are responsible for younger children, find out the times for these activities and bring the kids and study while they learn too.

Will this be easy? No! There will be many who will tell you it’s impossible so there’s no use in trying. There will be lots of extra work. When you are old, how do you want to look in your memories? The choice is yours to make!

Testing

Testing, the question of testing -- Over the years there have been arguments pro and con if standardized testing is fair to kids who don’t have a lot of advantages in life. The bottom line is no matter what the answer ends up being to these societal issues, you have to deal with standardized tests to get into college. So how do handle these tests if you don’t think you’re going to be properly prepared by your school? All of the test prep books are in the public library. They’re also in your guidance counselor’s office. Your public library and/or guidance counselor may also have prep information on CD or computer games that can also help. Your school may even have before or after school mini-test prep classes for you. It is going to take extra work on your part. It is going to take more time on your part, perhaps time you don’t really have. You need to try and give it your best shot.

CLICK HERE TO cc TO CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE "ABC'S OF TESTING" PORTION 
    OF THIS WEB SITE

If you need remedial work by the time you are searching for colleges, 
some questions to ask are:

        What remedial courses does college have?

        How many remedial courses will you need to take?

        Are there special courses or sessions for:

        Test taking skills

        Study and time management skills

                    Find out how the tutoring program works.

                    Ask about group study and individually-paced study sessions.

                    Ask about specialized academic counseling and planning
                                 programs.

     College Bill Woes

Go to the library and check out College Countdown and go to “Chapter 5: If Only Money Did Grow On Trees – Paying For College.” This chapter will give you the basic information to find your way through the finances of getting to college.

You will need to spend every spare minute you have looking for scholarship dollars. Again, it’s hard work, but it will be worth every minute when you walk in the doors of a college and a few years later you have graduated.

Another strategy is to consider going to your local community college for one or two years. It will get your feet wet and set the stage for a transfer to a four-year college later. This strategy will also help you if your grades aren’t up to par for a four-year institution right away – a community college will provide the start to jump you forward.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE "COLLEGE BILL WOES" PORTION OF THIS WEB SITE

    Internet Resource Sites


 

AVID - Advancement Via Individual Determination
        www.avidonline.org

Boys and Girls Clubs of America
        www.bgca.org

Boys Town USA     
         www.boystown.org

Childhelp USA 
            1-800-422-4453 
            TDD 1-800-222-4453 
            www.childhelpusa.org