WELCOME TO ARCADIA HIGH SCHOOL!

SO… WHAT NEXT?

My Name is Ian Chen

• Graduated 2024 (this year) as Salutatorian
• Been in Arcadia & the district my whole life
• Highland Oaks, Foothills, Arcadia
• Started acting when I was 5 years old
• Overview
• Much of elementary and middle school, between on-set, online, and real school
• Next year, attending Harvard

My On-Campus Activities

• Swim Team (4 yrs)
• Captain (Junior Year)
• Water Polo (1 yr)
• Why?
• Apache News
• NHS (2 yrs)
• Membership Director and Vice Pres.
• ASB (1 yr)
• Class Senator (Junior Year)
• Seniors of Merit at Work (SMW) Co Pres.
• We The People Constitution (Gov) Team

My Classes

• APs
• English Literature and Composition
• English Language and Composition
• Spanish Language and Culture
• Chinese Language and Culture (Test)
• Calculus AB
• Physics C Mechanics/Electricity and Magnetism
• US Government and Politics (Gov Team)
• Biology
• United States History
• APEX: Macro/Microeconomics, Psychology

My Interests & Future Plans

• Acting
• Shows & Movies
• Executive Produced a Short Film
• Politics
• Intern at Assm. Mike Fong’s District Office
• Campaign Fellow at a Political Action Comm.
• Campaign Fellow at State Senate Campaign
• Mock Government
• Aviation, Baseball
• Major in Government and Economics
• Law school, attorney, politics

What now?

What to Know for Your First Year

• Everything’s going to be okay.
• May be nervous, new environment
• Be comfortable, everyone is in the same spot
• Don’t be afraid to ask for help or ask questions
• People will help you
• Especially upperclassmen like those in Link Crew, ASB, or SMW. If you need help getting around or anything
• Make friends. Get to know people. Try new things. Explore your interests
• High school is all about having new experiences and learning from them.

Being Intentional

• It’s okay if you don’t know your future yet!
• Now is the time to start thinking
• Any vague ideas? Start there. Don’t like it?
• Passion. If you don’t want to do something it’s not going to last you very long. Take time to find something that you are truly passionate about.
• Motivate yourself with goals and plans
• Think about your schedule
• What classes do you want to take? What level?
• Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself.

Selecting Your Courses

• Difference between AP, Honors, and College Prep classes
• Weighted vs. Unweighted GPA
• Different course pathways
• Accelerated/Honors Math
• College Requirements
• UC VPAs, Language Requirements, etc
• Actually read the course handbook.
• It’s not that long and it’s really beneficial to know the options available to you throughout high school
• Make a spreadsheet

Advice for Academic Success (How to Get an A)

• Pay attention! No lecture notes? No other references? Don’t be lost
• Participate in class. Contribute your opinions and honest ideas.
• Be on top of your assignments. Easier to do it now than it is later. Late policies
• Study for quizzes and exams! Do it with a friend or a classmate. The best way to learn something is to also teach it. Make sure that you can explain what you know to someone else.
• Have a good relationship with your teachers. Advice +Rec letters.

Getting into it.

Thinking Ahead

• Assuming that now you know what to do and you are comfortable with it, need to start investing in it
• Think about pathways, classes you need to take, activities you should do, extracurriculars you should be involved doing
• What do you like doing? Outside of your academic ambitions?
• Doesn’t always need to be academic or school related. Do things for fun too.
• How do you set yourself apart from the rest?
• You need to be really, really good
• You do something different (really good)
• You do something impactful

Extracurriculars

• Ton of options on campus
• Sports
• Music (Orchestra, Chanteurs, Band)
• Theater
• Clubs (Special Interests—Fashion, Business, Fiber Arts, Film, Volunteering)
• Leadership Orgs. (ASB, Link, SMW)
• Honor Societies (NHS, SHS, Tri-M)
• Academic Teams (Bowls, Olympiad, Math, Gov, etc)
• Club Leadership
• Creating your own club, process through ASB
• Outside: Internships, work experience, volunteering, fellowships
• Personal Projects and Hobbies

Manage your time!

• Don’t wait until the last minute to turn in your homework. Or wait til the class before. Just do it at home!
• Know how to balance your friends, extracurriculars, schoolwork, and obligations.
• Budget your time correctly
• know how much time it takes you to do things
• Don’t procrastinate!

Taking Care of Yourself

• It’s okay to be stressed. It’s okay to take breaks
• Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, know your limits
• Ask for help if you need it
• Above all, communicate. Don’t leave people hanging
• Have good personal hygiene
• Sleep well (or try to) every night. Don’t pull all nighters
• Exercise
• Find creative outlets
• Make time for friends and relaxation
• Be aware of your mental health! Get resources (eg. from Wellness Center) whenever you need to. Super helpful

The C Word.

(College)

How Far Away is College?

• You have four more years
• Don’t need to worry about college apps until Senior Year!
• The things that you are doing in high school (and only what you do in high school) goes into your application
• Progressively build up and start sooner rather than later!
• Junior Year
• Take your SAT/ACT earlier so you can study more if you want to take it again (Don’t cram with applications)
• Senior Year
• 1st Semester, applying to colleges, interviews
• It is going to be hard, it will take time and effort. Spend time on it!
• Be your authentic self
• Be passionate and show it
• 2nd Semester
• Culmination of all your hard work

Any questions?

Q/A Session

Thank you!

Good luck!