10 Extremely Useful Tips To Help You Survive Grade 12

1. Know who your true friends are.

I was friends with toxic people for three years and never had the courage to leave them. When I finally worked up the strength to leave that negativity behind, I realized it’s not the quantity of your friends, rather the quality that truly matters. So know who your true friends are and believe me, it will make your final year of high school so much better.

2. Don’t skip class constantly.

It’s okay to skip every once in a while, I mean, who wants to be stuck in a building with a bunch of other people for 7-8 hours a day? Skipping once in awhile is okay to recollect yourself, but it is definitely not okay to do it every single day, especially if you want to survive Grade 12. This is the year that really matters, and you don’t want poor attendance to reflect poorly on your records.

3. Work hard!

Everything you do matters in grade 12 because this is the year where you’ll be transitioning to either university or college. They will be looking at your marks, how many times you’ve attended class, your extra-curriculars and basically everything else. Of course, working hard is easier said than done (procrastination is a best friend of mine), but if you really want those marks you’re hoping for, you have to do what it takes! Hard work always pays off in the end.

4. Plan, plan, plan!

Grade 12 is yes, probably the most stressful year of high school. The year where you will determine your future. You probably heard that line from a lot of people, such as your teachers and your parents. It is quite stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. Even if you don’t have a solid plan as to what you want to do next year, it doesn’t hurt to start organizing the outline of a plan. That way, you can have an image of what your options are when it’s time for college or university (such as what you want to major in, or maybe you realize the major that you want isn’t something that you wanted after all and etc).

5. Stay organized.

Staying organized can really help you survive Grade 12. Instead of freaking out and not knowing when an assignment is due or not knowing when an upcoming test is…use an agenda! Writing down important dates can help relieve so much stress. If you’re not into writing things down in a physical agenda, you have no excuse – download an agenda app on your phone!

6. Try out new things.

Grade 12 can get busy which mean you most likely won’t see your high school classmates unless you guys make plans. (Unless you guys are in the same program and same post-secondary school – which is unlikely.) Getting out of your comfort zone during your final year would leave your classmates remembering you, whether a good way or not…at least you did something memorable! Try out a new club, talk to other people (I know this is hard, but it is definitely worth it, there are a bunch of great and wonderful people who you might’ve not even know of), try out new subjects too! You want to make your last year of high school adventurous, after all, high school is a one in a lifetime thing.

7. Grade 12 is important, but give yourself a break!

A lot of people, including myself, stressed so much during the final year of high school. But you have to remember, the key to survive Grade 12 is to give yourself a break every now and then. An average person can only study for 40 minutes straight until their brain stops absorbing information and that’s when you know you need a break. Don’t stress yourself too much because we all need a break every here and there!

8. Don’t get entwined in useless drama.

High school drama seems to follow everyone, but in grade 12… the drama is ridiculous. If you get too caught up in it, you will realize you are stressing over something that is totally unimportant. Drama in grade 12 is indeed hectic, but if you just distance yourself to those who cause drama, then you’ll be okay. You don’t need drama in your final year of high school, I promise.

9. Don’t always go on your phone.

We are all guilty of doing this while in school, but honestly… is your phone worth more than your education? I used to do this all the time, I mean, I still do it – but definitely not as much as I used to. When my marks started dropping, I realized I needed to get off my phone and start paying more attention in class. Immediately, my marks started to increase. Social media and catching up with latest gossip can wait until lunch time or when you go home!

10. Make the best of everything!

Similar to #6, but you want to make this your year. You won’t get to repeat grade 12 unless you are coming back for a year. Everything happens once, so honestly, just radiate positivity and live in the moment and you will survive Grade 12!