Alumni Advice
The Stanford Online High School is a community of diverse, brilliant, and inexplicably capable individuals, from a multitude of different backgrounds and life experiences. We are constantly interacting with knowledge in various subjects from philosophy to multivariable calculus. However, with this fountain of knowledge comes a tremendous load of assignments, lectures, and stress. These overwhelming circumstances build us all into resilient and uniquely independent individuals through teaching us how to manage and succeed under extreme pressure. While the road to our futures may seem frightening, we have to remember that some day we will look back and realize that it was worth the struggle.
In the midst of papers, projects, and stress, it is reassuring to remember that we are not the first and most definitely not the last. We must also remember to learn from past experience of fellow students who have struggled and succeeded already. Below is a collection of advice from diverse OHS alumni. It is our hope that each one of you can utilize this article as a reference and guide through your years at this exceptional institution.
On Academics:
Tia: Grades do not define how smart you are or how successful you will be, the amount of knowledge you retain does.
Talia: Time management at an online high school can be difficult, but what always helped me was creating a schedule and sticking to it. Crossing off each assignment as you do it can motivate.
Chloe: "It’s got to be done and done quickly, so let’s get it done.” The succinct words of General Henry “Hap” Arnold should become the mantra of every high school student in the face of looming college applications, standardized test prep, and the obstacles of everyday life. As OHS students, even the smaller details of day-to-day life, such as homework, making time to communicate with your friends, and engage in demanding extracurricular activities can seem insurmountable when they all seem to just pile up. They can even seem impossible to complete when procrastination sets in. Back when I was a junior at OHS, I would often just wish for more time in the day, or for teachers to give me a break, or for the apocalypse to start right before my DFRL essay due date. I thought that if only external factors would work in my favor, everything would be A-ok. Sure, having extra time in the day would be great—but wishing to change situations outside your control is not going to get you anywhere. You need to grab the bull by the horns and settle in for a wild ride that can often spiral almost out of your control, but a ride that nevertheless you have some power over—and might even enjoy at times. The number one piece of advice I can give you on your journey to college is this: slow is smooth, smooth is fast. In other words, don’t try to cram rapidly for tests and assignments, but space things out so they take time. You learn more effectively this way and will thank yourself a million times later. This also means to take things slow in everything you do—that doesn’t mean don’t get things done quickly, but get them done after thinking them through, and then do things deliberately and with conviction. “Smooth is fast” is the second element to doing well, and means that the time you lost by planning out and executing tasks slowly is made up for by the heightened effectiveness and caliber of your work.
Greyson: For time management, the most helpful thing I used was write all of my assignments I had to do on any given day on post it notes, and put them up on my wall and take them down what I complete what’s on each post it.
Eva: Be conscious about your priorities and whether the time you spend reflects those priorities. Whether these are academic or not, being intentional will help you get what you want out of your day. Plan out the blocks of time you’re going to spend on tasks on a daily and weekly basis while paying attention to what you’re trying to accomplish with that time. (+ Paper planners are better than digital)
On College Apps:
Tia: Be honest and be you. Yes, you want to stand out and be unique, but trying to be something and someone you’re not, or trying to sound passionate about something you think the admission officers will like, will not work. They’ll read right through that. SO be genuine and remember that no one is you. Expressing who you truly are in your essays will automatically make your application unique.
Daniel: Set aside a little time on a regular basis to work on your applications, and be yourself in the essays rather than who you think the admissions officers want you to be. Trust in the hard work you’re done and let the rest go! Enjoy the coolest high school in the world while you’re still there and go where you feel led for the next step.
Emma: Always be genuine. Your stats are definitely important, but there will always be someone with identical test scores and GPAs. What will help the right college choose you is being yourself and telling them exactly who you are. The college you want might not see it, but the right one will.
Talia: I started the common app in the summer before school started, which really helped. Writing one or more of your essays before school starts can help with the stress of multiple college applications.
Anne: Get started early and don’t apply to too many places. Additionally, make sure your essay reflects you and not your friends or parents.
Greyson: With college apps the best thing to do is start early! I didn’t do this and it was really stressful. Also, you’ll want to apply to a wide range of schools (safety schools, schools in your ballpark, and then reach schools). important because so many schools already have great academics, so the real choosing happens when you consider all the other factors.
On your future:
Daniel - Looking back at senior year, I remember the stress of where I was going to end up, what the right fit would be for me, and if I’d be prepared for what’s to come. I want to tell you all that there is nothing to stress about; do your best through your time at OHS, but most importantly make some great friends and enjoy every day of it. College is coming quickly, but this isn’t something to be worried about or stressing over. You’ll all end up where you’re meant to be, you’re all more than prepared coming from the OHS (trust me…), and the next stage is a ton of fun.
Chloe - Some of you may know exactly what you want to do in college and in your careers. Others may have doubts. It’s perfectly OK to know what you want to do, but just be aware of the fact that college is really the place to explore what you love, and you can never predict exactly the person you’ll be in college. You might take a class that immediately grabs your interest, or find yourself unenthusiastic about your major after six months. Don’t let any of these things discourage you. OHS students are smart, determined, and have a love for life and learning—I know that whatever you decide to study, you will bring a unique passion and curiosity to whatever you set your mind to, and will enjoy yourself if you listen to those interests and let yourself geek out about them. Best of luck throughout the rest of your high school careers, and to those of you applying or waiting to hear back from colleges—to you I raise a three-fingered salute…I’m just kidding, guys. College acceptance is not the Hunger Games, and even if you don’t get into the “college of your dreams,” you will realize soon enough that it doesn’t matter where you go. It matters what you do, and what you can bring to whatever college you end up attending. So, keep on telling yourself: “I’m an OHSer—I got this.”
Greyson - When figuring out where you go to college I think it’s best to evaluate everything, not just the academics, the student body, the location, and the general feel of the school. All of those are just as important as the academics of the school, and in my opinion they’re even more.
On life:
Chloe: Make sure you’re taking the time to have fun. There will be many times when you simply won’t have time to relax, but you will need to learn how to make time for yourself to relax. Treat rest and relaxation as an activity in your schedule equal in importance to completing your physics homework. Build time into your schedule to hang out with friends or just take a long and well-deserved snooze. However, just because rest and relaxation are something in your schedule doesn’t mean they should be treated as another thing to get done in an extremely structured manner. Working R&R into your schedule simply means that you allot yourself enough time in the day to not only get your work done, but to have time to do something fun at some point during the week. It’s not something you add into your schedule like “Chill with friends—4 pm every other day.” In the Air Force, it is common to joke around about “only having fun when it’s mandatory.” This is not the exact attitude you want to have, but the point is still made: fun and relaxation are so important to success that it is mandated to have fun “morale-boosting” activities frequently in the military. You can’t succeed and do well if your energy is completely spent from endless all-nighters and agonizing without a break over the exact adjective to use in your Common App essay’s opening sentence.
Vince: Read all the assigned material and reward yourself for reading it all with a nice big bowl of guacamole.
Eva: There are more important things in life than the grades you get and the college you go to. While working towards academics success is I’m sure a large part of the life of anyone reading this, remember to think critically about how you’re approaching this. It’s okay to compromise your health/happiness occasionally in the short term for work — e.g. to stay up late to finish an essay – but it becomes dangerous when it becomes a trend. Your mental and physical wellbeing are more important than your grades. Breathe! High school is an incredibly stressful time, especially junior and senior years, you’re all doing a phenomenal job. No matter how it ends up, you’re going to be okay. Keep thinking, keep working, keep thriving.
Pixel Journal: Thank you, alumni!
Edited for clarity and length.