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help me with college please i need help no one else has gone to college in my family i need your help to tell me the best what classes will help

Kudos on taking the initiative to start preparing for college so early in you high school matriculation! What you need to focus on primarily is studying hard and keeping your grade point average high. Additionally, you should get involved in few extracurricular activities. Join a club or two, volunteer in you church/temple or around your community.

Good grades are important, but colleges want to see what else you have done while you were in high school. Things like this show them that you will be an asset to the university.

Once you enter your Junior and Senior years, you might be able to take Advanced Placement courses. These classes are not for slacker students! Be prepared to work! But, your hard work will definitely pay off. If you pass the AP test with a high enough score, you will get college credit. Some high schools even offer programs that will allow you to have a dual enrollment your senior year at your school as well as at a local college. Even if you don't plan to attend this college, the credits that you earn may be transferred to the university you decide to attend.

It is never too early to apply for scholarships! Check with your school's College Adviser to see what awards you are eligible for. This person can also answer any additional questions that you may have about college prep. Good luck!

High schools around the country offer a variety of classes, so specific courses cannot be recommended. However, when searching through your buidling's course descriptions, you may want to choose electives that match the field you're preparing to study. Don't worry if you haven't decided on a career yet, electives are also a great way to expose you to a variety of possibilities. Colleges look at your core subject grades (English, Math, History, Science), so it's not only important to choose the right classes but to also follow through with your studies and earn satisfactory grades. Keep in mind that some colleges require a foreign language, some are interested in your extra curriculuar contributions, and that there are many opportunities for scholarships! Talk with your high school counselor for help in aquiring information on any colleges you might consider. They can help you map out your high school schedule so you're sure to be on the right track.

Any AP/honors level courses you can take will be beneficial to your future studies, because the things you do in those classes will be closest to the level of work you can expect in college courses.  Generally, every state has a requirement for how many courses you take in each subject in order to graduate.  You should take at least 4 courses in English, Math, Science, and Social Studies if you are able to do so.  It is also important to show your unique talents and your diversity, so you should try to take classes in foreign language, the arts, or other electives.  It would be good to be involved in extracurricular activities, such as sports or clubs, too.  If you can join any honor societies, that would look great on your applications.  It is also important to be involved in your community by volunteering or working with charities or church groups. 

Basically, when you apply to college, you want to show them that you are unique.  You want to show them that you went above and beyond what was required of you, that you pursued your education with effort and enthusiasm, and that you can stand out in a crowd.  They want to know what you will add to their school by being a student there; they will want to know that you will work hard and contribute to their community in some way.  This could be through sports, clubs, or other student groups; as well as getting good grades.

Good luck!!

A lot of this also depends on what you want to study, or, what you intend to choose for your major.  It's important to pick classes that give you a solid basic foundation of the field you intend to study once you get to the university level.  A lot of electives in high school are geared toward giving you some insight into possible fields of study in college, such as media and technology, criminal justice, sociology, psychology, art, music, and even anthropology. 

Taking as many electives as possible not only prepares you academically for college, but also it gives you a chance to really determine what it is you want to do.  Without a lot of electives, you're not as exposed to different fields and subjects.  This can help you choose a major and stick with it, as opposed to choosing something you won't really enjoy, and then wasting money and time by switching majors a couple of semesters into your university education. 

Congratulations! You are smart to plan early. The main thing I advise all high school students is not to pigeonhole yourself too soon, unless you have a burning desire or dream to do one specific thing. For example, if you've wanted for a long time to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a firefighter, then your decisions should all be geared toward helping yourself to reach that goal.

If, however, like most students, you're not exactly sure what you want to do, my advice is for you to take courses that you are really interested in and to beef up your core academics (English, math, science, social studies) with Advanced Placement and honors courses wherever they are available in your high school's curriculum.

Studies by the College Board have shown that students who take AP classes in high school are more likely to finish college, even if they didn't score high on their high school AP exams. So don't let your guidance counselor or the AP teachers discourage or keep you out of those courses--insist on taking at least one of them and get your principal or assistant principal's help if you need to get past the scheduling people to do it.

You have a bright future ahead! Good luck in your work.

Congratulations!!!  You seem to be the living personification of the American Dream!!!  And, you are right, you CAN do this!!!  I agree with the previous responders about advanced classes and want to add something further:  place yourselves around other motivated students!!!  It is WONDERFUL to have a friend or two to discuss intelligent things with!!!  Further, you are SO smart to ask this of high school teachers.  We are a GREAT resource for you!!!

In regards to specific classes, luckily our education system steers students in the right direction to make them fairly well-rounded and versed enough in quite a few subjects.  Don't try to create your own curriculum or anything.  Basically follow the program on the college prep track to graduation.  I can do nothing more for you than what I will tell my own children in a few years.  So, here it goes . . .

#1  Introduce yourself respectfully to your guidance counselor, letting him or her know your goals.  You would be amazed at the knowledge these people are PAID to have about all sorts of different colleges, . . . as well as their amazing CONNECTIONS to those schools!  (For example, if my guidance counselor had known I wanted to go to Furman University, he would have told me that I needed to be a "Furman Fellow" my junior year in order to be in the running for the best scholarships.  But, unfortunately, I didn't know to make my presence known that soon.)

#2  Take any advanced classes you can handle, making sure you don't overload yourself.   This will pretty much place you around the "motivated" students, as well.  Taking a few classes that you like and making all "A"s is  better than taking ALL advanced courses and getting "B"s and "C"s.  Another tip, if you aren't in an advanced class, but want to be (or simply think you should be), ANY teacher I know will respect a student who, on the first day of class, says this,  "Hi Mrs. X, I wondered if you could observe my ability in these first few days.  I am a big fan of (insert subject), and believe I could handle a more advanced class.  Would you mind allowing me to move up by the end of the week if you see fit?"  Trust me, you'll blow the socks off that teacher.

#3  ABSOLUTELY take an SAT prep class as soon as possible in your junior year, . . . and then take more of them closer to the time of the test(s), . . . and possibly buy a nice study guide and do one word of vocabulary per day.

#4  Join clubs for which you aspire to have a leadership role.  This looks wonderful on college applications.

#5  Don't neglect an important class like "keyboarding" and continue to practice use of the computer for all word processing.  (People who don't learn this skill end up debilitated in today's world.)

#6  Find a teacher to be your mentor, . . . and never be afraid to ask him or her questions about your education.  Having a "friend" who is a teacher can be an  outstanding resource, . . . and often, an objective opinion other than your parents and friends.

#7 Don't try to finalize your profession quite yet.  HOWEVER, be sure that you are observing what areas you like and don't like.  For me, I chose to be an English teacher, not because I was "really good" at it, . . . but because it absolutely turned me on!!!  Happiness is a key factor in a career.

#8  And, of course, make sure ALL of your classes are "college prep" instead of "tech prep" classes.

#9  Realize that you might have a teacher (or student) who, at some point, might belittle you and make you feel like you aren't going to be able to do this.  THAT PERSON IS WRONG. 

I wish you the very best of luck!!!  : )