Find your strengths

Finding your strengths takes time, and your path through high school is the journey that will help you discover that intersection of what you enjoy and where you excel.

Take a look at your transcript. In which subjects do you choose to challenge yourself? Where do you consistently do best?

How about outside of the school day? In which activities do you find yourself losing track of time because you completely immerse yourself?

Research a summer program online, maybe one with lots of course choices, like Summer@Brown, Brown University's summer program. If you could drop everything and take two of those courses right now, which would they be? (OK, now do it!)

So many questions! Ask, research, test, explore. Find your strengths, get ready to dig deeper, and create opportunities to showcase your inquiry.

Take the plunge

Dive into your areas of interest. Feeding your intellectual curiosity is rewarding, exciting and will help you learn more about yourself. 

This is a time for exploration. 

Identify an area of interest, which you enjoy, of course! Take an online class, ask a teacher to include you in her research, sign up for a summer program or explore a future career that touches on your intellectual interest.

Although the path ahead might zig and zag, one this is sure: you will be moving forward and developing strengths that will help you stand out.

Showcase your work

Get the word out about your talents! Don't be shy - you have to be in it to win it! There's either no or a very low cost to entering the following competitive programs and competitions to showcase your academic prowess. 

Note: Beware of unsolicited emails or letters inviting your participation in contests or programs because you are a “high achiever;” these often require high registration fees or other payments to participate. Such for-profit ventures just buy mailing lists, yet purport that "you have been selected." Check out the organization with a simple Google search, or call us.

Here are just a few ideas - for history buffs, scientists, and creative minds - to get you started.

The Concord Review: A quarterly US-based periodical which publishes student research papers on history topics. From their website: "The Concord Review" is the only quarterly journal in the world to publish the academic research papers of secondary students."

Swiss Young Physicists Tournament: This annual team competition is a stepping stone to an international competition, the International Young Physicists' Tournament, in which "participants present their solutions to scientific problems they have prepared over several months and then discuss their solutions with other teams."

Scholastic Art and Writing Awards: A competition to showcase your writing as well as a broad range of artistic talents, from film-making to sculpture. From their website: "Since 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have recognized the vision, ingenuity, and talent of our nation’s youth, and provided opportunities for creative teens to be celebrated. Each year, increasing numbers of teens participate in the program, and become a part of our community—young artists and writers, filmmakers and photographers, poets and sculptors, video game artists and science fiction writers, along with countless educators who support and encourage the creative process."