In our recent magazine, we had the wrong author listed  This story was written by Sarah Payne, not Rowan Young.  We wanted to make sure the right author got the credit, so we’ve posted it here.  Infographics were created by Lauren Pantleo.

Many freshmen tend to look at their first year in high school as if it doesn’t affect their future. For many freshmen, it’s a year to have fun and goof off. The common consensus of freshmen seems to be that grades, extracurricular activities, and volunteering don’t matter until your years as an upperclassmen, as those are the years you’re looking at colleges and getting close to graduating.

But high school isn’t meant to be a fun time. I’m not trying to say that you aren’t allowed to have fun, but when you come to school, the purpose is to learn, to develop as a person, especially in regards to future goals. There are many things freshmen can–and should–be doing to prepare themselves for both being an upperclassman and getting into colleges.

Colleges look at many aspects of a student’s life before accepting them to the school. According to Eric Thomas from CollegePrepU, being in the top 50% of your class is a general rule when applying for colleges. Good schools and scholarships are more open to students that are higher in the class. Class rank is important, but ACT and SAT scores are also a major component in college applications and can give you a bit of a boost if you’re not at the top of the class.

Extracurricular involvement and community service throughout your entire high school career can affect your impression on colleges exponentially. Being involved in several activities (whether they are sports, clubs, publications, or other events) displays that you can manage your time and work hard. Community service demonstrates character and compassion, which are two traits many colleges would like their students to be known for.

Course rigor is another large player in the future game. Having all A’s in Option I courses may look good at a glance, but colleges look closely at which courses you’re taking and have taken. If they see that you’ve been passing all your Option I courses with flying colors, it may seem like you either don’t know how or you’re too lazy to challenge yourself academically.

Colleges want students who demonstrate that they can handle a college-level load. Besides, a B in an AP class is ultimately better than an A in an Option I course.

Additionally, slacking off in any class can have a significant affect on future course options. As many students are finding out from the course selection process, most Honors and AP courses require you to have an average of an A- in your current class. Not having these averages shows that you either don’t care or aren’t ready for the rigor of advanced placement courses and will subsequently be put into courses more fitted for you. Not getting into harder courses, as previously mentioned, can affect which colleges and scholarships are open to you.

Freshmen have plenty of ways to stay on top of school and prepare for the future. Planning courses according to what you’re interested in can help you explore those fields before the decision is right on top of you.

Thinking about the future can shape the decisions you make as you go through high school. When you think about the consequences of a choice, you’re more likely to choose the one that will help you further down the road. This forward thinking is crucial to planning ahead, and having a goal to match your future makes staying on track even easier.

Disclaimer: Articles designated as “Editorial” represent the views and opinions of the author, not the 2014-2015 Periscope staff, CHS Administration, or the CHS student body.