2)Stay organized. Make sure you have all the supplies you need. It may help to have one 3-ring binder with pockets for each class (maybe only a folder for an elective class) with loose-leaf paper and dividers if they help. If your teacher likes to lecture, have a spiral or composition notebook for notes and jot down pictures and thoughts to help you remember- the pages are less likely to rip out than loose-leaf. Keep papers in chronological order- they'll be easier to find later when studying. If your binder starts to get full, transfer old papers into another binder to keep at home. This way you won't have to lug them around, but they will be there when studying for midterms and finals.

3)Remember that school is important.You don't have to be the nerd who holes himself/herself up in his/her bedroom Friday night or reads gigantic books in the corner of the room to be considered someone who takes school seriously. The truth is, school isimportant. You need it to have a good resume, and you need it to get into a good college and later get a good career that will support you for the rest of your life, but even though you decide not to go to college, school does help a lot. Social wise and intellectually. It's important to have fun and have lots of extra-curricular activities, but school should always be your number one priority. That being said, never take homework, tests, and quizzes lightly! Note that extra-curricular activities are also good with college resumes as well.