Finishing your high school diploma? Read these key study tips to excel (for both online & classroom courses!)

Are you an adult who wants to go back to high school? Do you need to relearn how to study? Maybe you are a teen who is on the verge of dropping out of a traditional high school, but you want to give yourself a last chance at academic success. Learning how to study for online high school courses can be your best option.

Adult Students Can Succeed Even with Responsibilities, Families, and Jobs

Adult high school students are not as rare as you might think.

Plenty of adults never got a chance to finish their high school diplomas.

In the past, earning a GED was your only chance of finishing this chapter of your academics. But what happens when you do not want everyone to know that you did not graduate from a traditional high school?

The answer is simple: return to high school as an adult.

Doing so does not mean sharing the classroom with teenagers. Instead, there are online learning opportunities that let you complete the required coursework from the convenience of your home or anywhere you can take a laptop.

Study Tips for Adults Going Back to High School

At a fully accredited learning center, certified teachers work with you to go through the classes at your own pace.

The best studying environment for where you do your studying depends on you and what works to keep your focus.

Do you need silence? Check out your local library. Libraries offer noise free study areas, tables, and free wifi.

Do you need background noise? Get yourself down to you local favourite cafe and settle down. Again, most now offer free wifi. But be sure to grab a coffee or make some other purchase before sitting down.

If you have young kids and have to study at home, it’s important to make the young ones aware of what you’re doing and that mommy or daddy has to “do homework now” too.

Establish an area in the house that will be your study area and set a regular time to do your studying. The kids will learn to know that that time and place is homework time. Be available or in sight to reassure them, but be firm about maintaining those time and space boundaries.

Regardless of where you study, however, your success depends of these key tips:

• Make learning a lifestyle choice. Incorporate study time into your lifestyle. Just like reading, gameplay, TV watching, or eating out can become second nature, studying can, too.
• Shore up support. Get friends and family members on board. Those who live with you will be your greatest support network.
• Take advantage of help. A good-quality online high school will put you in contact with an academic advisor. This professional is a tremendous resource to help guide you. Moreover, this expert can help you if you feel that you need input with balancing work, life, and school.
• Keep an eye on the goal. A chart, calendar, or another visual reminder of your completed coursework is a great motivator. Fit this visual into a chart outlining the greater purpose. For example, if you only need another five classes until you graduate, reward yourself when you hit specific milestones.

This list of study tips for adults going back to high school would be incomplete if we did not mention grace. Progress not perfection is key when going back to school as an adult

Things will come up. There will be missed study times. That is okay.

Teens in Search of Traditional or Online High School Classes Benefit from Attending Schools Offering Both

There are also plenty of teenagers in search of a better learning environment.

Some are facing the gauntlet of consistent bullying and want to learn in peace. Others just cannot keep up with the rigors of classroom work and personal scheduling difficulties. For these learners, there are alternatives.

Accredited private high schools may be your key to meeting your goals. Maybe you need help with classes that your school will not offer. Perhaps you want to prepare for college while your peers are still learning basic applications of the fields in which you excel.

Be sure to select a school that offers both in-class and online options. You can then choose the style of learning that’s best for you:

• A traditional, classroom based learning environment may be your best option when you enjoy interactions with others but need something more.
• Their online setting, on the other hand, will give you more control over your time. This option appeals to learners with medical conditions, those with responsibilities outside of school, and those with learning disabilities.

If you choose the online option, be aware that these courses require a different approach than do classroom courses.

How to Study for Online High School Courses

While online courses do provide teacher guidance, a great deal depends on you and your attitude.

Learn how to motivate yourself to study. Going to high school online puts a lot of the responsibility for staying on track on you.

You are responsible for setting both your “classroom” time where you read your material for each lesson and your study time, when you review, complete the lesson exercises and course assignments and actually learn what you’ve read.

However, it does not have to be all drudgery. Learning how to study easily combines with finding out what is the best environment for studying in your situation.

Hands-on suggestions for making this happen are plentiful. By the way, these tips can also apply to studying for traditional classroom settings.

• Set up a study plan. Know which classes you will be taking in the future. Any time that you can cross one off the list, you are a step closer to your goal. Break down your plan to include the dates of midterms, finals, and special projects. The smaller the chunks, the easier it is to achieve them.
• Enlist the help of study buddies. It is more fun to learn with someone else. If you cannot have a peer, pretend that you are teaching a younger sibling or even a pet. It may sound corny, but by forcing yourself to repeat the information you are learning in a way that someone else could understand it, you help retain the knowledge in your own mind.
• Schedule study times. At the beginning of the classes, you promise yourself to study diligently every single day. A month or so later, life catches up. Learn how to motivate yourself to study when you are in a time crunch or when there are other commitments. Keeping a digital schedule can be very helpful. If you hit a wall, consider employing the Pomodoro Technique.

Is It Possible to Have a Life and Finish Your High School Education?

In a word: yes!

In the past, you had to make a choice. Go to high school or take care of responsibilities. Today, you do not have to make this choice. This has become an important reason why so many adults are now returning to a high school setting.

Whether you are an adult or teen learner, you can benefit from enrollment in an alternative high school that will provide the support you need to meet your graduation goal.

However, you need to commit yourself to your goal. For starters, you need to agree that you will make your best effort. Secondly, remember to ask for help from teachers or advisors when you need it.

Some students may have to become more tech-savvy. Do not avoid it.Instead, embrace the opportunity to learn new programs.

When you do it right, an online or in-classroom setting can be a most rewarding experience. Moreover, the skills you are learning now will prove to be invaluable when you look for a better job, your first job, or going on to college.

American High School Academy, is a private, fully accredited high school based in Miami, Florida that offers both online and classroom high school courses.  We also offer credit recovery, dual enrollment, and study abroad programs among others.

Contact us if you need help deciding or just wish to talk to someone who can answer your questions. We’re here to help!

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Make an appointment with an Admissions Advisor to learn more about finishing your High School Diploma with American High School Academy.

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