How to Succeed in High School and Prep for College

This article will give you some of THE best resources on how to succeed in high school and prep for college. Use these high school success tips to skyrocket and get the results you want.

If you're a teen, congratulations on wanting to take school success and your future to the next level.

These programs are designed just for you to make that happen.

If you're a college student, don't run away yet.

While a few of them are designed specifically for high school students, these tools can help you, too.

Chances are, the rest of you are my regular readers...

...moms of teens trying to tackle yet another family worry...teen academic success.

And for middle schoolers, it's not too early.

Did you know some scholarships can be applied for as soon as 13!

Look no further, I have recently found these products that I'm so very excited to share.

This post contains affiliate links. I will earn a commission at no additional charge to you if you make a purchase using my links. Click here to see my full disclosure policy

Having every one of these in your arsenal will do wonders for your teen's high school career and beyond.

Each one used individually will be a huge benefit to your teen, but using them together will absolutely skyrocket their success and get truly amazing results.

I have listed them not necessarily in order of importance, but to keep it simple in terms of what most likely happens first. I believe each one to be critical to the whole plan.

🏫High School Survival Kit

This free kit put together by Mel over at Parenting Highschoolers, has a separate kit for each year of high school.

What's Included:

A "To Do" List by grade
12-month calendar for important dates
Activity/Volunteer Tracker
College Visit Checklist
Scholarship Tracker
Career Worksheet
Other grade-specific worksheets

I downloaded the individual planners for every grade level.

While there is a bit of overlap, that's a benefit.

Some forms are needed for each year, like the handy calendar, or maybe the task needs to be done more than once.

Repeating some of the information is always a good thing, so you don't forget.

Even if your teen has already completed some of the years, I would encourage you to download all of them to be sure you haven't overlooked any critical steps.

I only have one in high school right now, but I love these kits.

My son goes to a regional vocational school, though they do encourage college, so academics still have a strong emphasis...hello, it's Massachusetts, where schools breathe mandated tests.

He is leaning heavily on pursuing the masonry field that he's learning.

Even so, I still think the volunteer tracker, career worksheets, resume template, and calendar can be used for any student, no matter their path.

And like their moods, teens change their minds a lot.

When the others finish middle school and start freshman year, we'll be using this planner for sure.

👉Grab Mel's High School Survival Kit here.

Don't miss this... Mel from Parenting High Schoolers has written this fabulous new book available in paperback and on Kindle.

COLLEGE BOUND: THE ULTIMATE LIST OF CONVERSATIONS TO HELP YOUR TEEN THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL

$11.99

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We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

02/09/2026 06:05 am GMT

📒Planning for College Planner

This planner from Almost Empty Nest has everything you can think of included.

From the first thoughts of planning out your high school career to the events of dorm move-in day, Laura has thought of everything.

After helping her 2 sons through the college planning process and about to help her daughter, she was frustrated when she couldn't find anything out there to make it easier.

So she did what moms do...

She created her own resource packet and now she's sharing it with you.

The planner includes:

High school course planning
High school resume planning
Volunteer hours record
SAT/ACT planning
Junior year checklist
College fairs and visits to your high school
Letters of recommendation
College research planning
Summer before senior year checklist
Senior year checklist
August – August (13) full calendar pages for senior year
Reflection pages
Note-taking pages
College visit evaluation forms
Application checklist and worksheets
Essay checklist
Essay worksheets
FAFSA checklist
Scholarship application checklist
Scholarship worksheets
College decision worksheet
Dorm shopping checklist
Dorm assignment and roommate worksheet
Meal plan worksheet
Degree plan worksheets
Moving day guide for students and parents

If your teen is a boy, don't let the floral designs distract from the goal, and let's be real, there's a good chance we moms are filling most, okay, all, of these out anyway.😉

👉Get Planning for College here for instant digital download.

Planning for college

$26.98

Buy Now

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02/09/2026 08:07 am GMT

💡Even though I've recommended two planners, I do think it's worth it to get both of them. They do have some of the same information, but both have handy tips and a style all their own.

🍎Straight-A-Student

This proven system was created by Daniel Wong, best-selling author of The Happy Student: 5 Steps to Academic Fulfillment and Success.

"This is a step-by-step system which will propel you toward academic success. By using this system I guarantee that you'll become more focused, organized, and disciplined." - Daniel Wong, Straight-A-Student creator

Even though the program is called The Straight-A Student Checklist, don't let the title fool you; it's no quickie checklist.

Don't let the title fool you...it's no quickie checklist.

While it seems simple at first glance, it is chock-full of highly detailed, very specific instructions that offer no fluff, only direct, effective steps that you can't misinterpret.

With the immediate bonuses like the planning sheet template and quick reference guides, as well as more freebie offers that come to your inbox later, you will have all the tools to get them started right or steer them back on track.

These are just two freebies with school success tips that we got... What to Do if Your Teen Hates School and 10 Things Parents Should Not Say to Their Teenagers.

We also received The Complete Guide to Taking Tests and Exams. You can get that here.

I have 3 very different kids.

My oldest son is nearly 16. He's winding down his freshman year.

It's been a challenging year for him.

While he is very intelligent, he barely survived algebra. And neither did we.

The multiple steps and his lack of focus teamed up to work against him.

Other grades began to slide when a dip in self-esteem and lack of discipline combined with that oh so joyous teen attitude to create a perfect storm.

I purchased Daniel's Straight-A-Student program in a mom panic, but it was too close to the end of the school year to really implement the system.

Not that it's difficult, but it will be a dramatic change in the way my son operates.

**Read as...he has always wanted to pilot his own ship.

Plus, in a vocational school format, academics are only every other week.

We, **read as I, are so pumped to put it in place for next year.

My daughter is almost 12.

She's just completing her first year of middle school.

She already excels academically.

While she doesn't necessarily need this program.

I have no doubt that implementing the tools as her school responsibilities change will be a great benefit.

Not to mention that girl loves a good planning system like her mom.

My youngest son is just 10.

He, too, has excellent grades.

But with only just finishing 4th grade, the workload and expectations aren't what they will be once he moves to middle school next year.

His personality falls somewhere between his brother's and his sister's.

He still likes school like his sister, but he has had some forgetful moments this year about assignments and has an easy-going attitude rather than her type-A personality.

I can see that with more work, but also less leeway in accountability, he might waver.

Of all the kids so far, he is the one most excited about the program.

Probably because he sees the benefit the most.

The oldest is discouraged right now and can't see anything working... anyway, what plans? Why? Who does that? What are those?...hello ADHD.🤦‍♀️

And for my daughter, right now, everything academic just works for her spot on with her own self-taught skills.

Though again, I do see it helping once things get harder.

Once we use it next year, I will definitely be letting you know more.

👉Get your Straight-A-Student Checklist here.

🎓How to Win Scholarships

Monica Romero Matthews is a mom just like you. A mom searching for answers for her family,

When she was searching for guidance on how to help her son win scholarships, she had trouble finding what she was looking for.

She needed help and wanted real and actionable steps to winning a scholarship.

She took matters into her own hands and researched successful scholarship winners, what they did, and discovered exactly what scholarship judges look for in their chosen winners.

She walked her son through those steps, and it worked. Her son was awarded over $100,000 in scholarships!

As a result, she developed a method like no other found anywhere on the internet or in scholarship help books.

In her guides...

Learn amazing ways to:

Get organized
Find scholarships
Get great letters of recommendation
Write a memorable (and winning!) essay
Put together an application package that looks, feels, and IS different from all the rest
Get the most financial aid possible
And much more scholarship help!

The How to Win College Scholarships guide will tell you exactly what you need to do to get started NOW on winning as much FREE money for college as possible.

Did you know scholarships aren't just for high school students?

Monica's unique methods will also work for current college students, adult students going back to school, and students who have taken a “gap year” after high school.

The guide will help you by teaching you a method of putting together your scholarship application packets in a way that looks, feels, and IS different from those submitted by your peers.

Your scholarship applications will stand out and get noticed by the judges, and THAT is the way to win scholarships.

The parent guide shows exactly what parents can do to help their students prepare their scholarship applications in a way that will set them apart and get them noticed.

The student guide shows students what they need to do to create application packets that will impress any scholarship judge.

Both guides are organized into 10 clear and easy-to-follow sections, with step-by-step instructions on perfecting those applications, along with tips on what college scholarship selection committees look for and how to win those awards.

In addition, her website is chock-full of tips and resources, including continuously updated lists of scholarships you've probably never heard of. Once you get your guide, you also get access to her Facebook group with even more invaluable advice.

👉 Grab your How to Win Scholarships e-guides

I can't wait to put all these tools together to help my kids know how to succeed in high school, prep for college, and boost their academic success.

As we move through this process, I'll be sure to report back and fill you in.

And I hope you let me know too!