L2K, or the Legacy 2000 Program, is probably one of the most rigorous class you can take. Even with all the logs, speeches, and group projects with unreliable group members, it’s possible to survive L2K. Listed below are tips and strategies on how to survive L2K (these are mainly geared towards freshmen).  

1. Procrastinate better:

Every freshmen has heard to never procrastinate. Instead, just procrastinate better. In other words, prioritize your assignments and determine how long it would take to finish it. By figuring this out, you can basically have a break as L2k is draining and could still finish all of your work by planning your schedule out (Recommended to use a planner for assistance).

2. Learn how to manage stress:

Stress is a natural result coming into this program, but there are ways to combat against that. One way is to talk to your friends, family, whoever you can rely on and let it all out. Another way is to take a short break from working on assignments and calm down. Taking short breaks can help clear your thoughts and get right back into action.  

3. Practice your speeches:

I can’t stress about this enough. As someone who is nervous in front of crowds, practicing your speech beforehand can help reduce that stress. But it can still be difficult to remember every word you’re supposed to say. Instead, use bullet points to highlight the most critical details you’re supposed to talk about in your speech script. From there, break down those sections before practicing and actually form some idea of what you are going to say on the spot as you practice. Thus, the moment the speech comes, you can actually remember it.

4. Always check your margins:

On the rubrics, it usually lists “1 inch margins” on papers, but printing them out is a whole another story. They are usually never 1 inch unless you change it under the “File Tab” in the “Page Setup” section in Google. About 0.9 for top and 0.6 bottom are the best ones, but they can vary, so check them to avoid easy deductions as teachers tend to measure those margins with a ruler.

5.  Take advantage of the assignments in L2K:

There are a couple of assignments in L2K that are useful in exploring your interests and help plan for life after high school like the College Study Projects, logs, or Time Management Project. I recommend to put as much effort into these assignments as it can be difficult to choose a career when you’re just in high school. It may even help you create a new schedule to keep up with academics and socially (refer to Time Management).  

6. Keep the brochures from the junior job shadow walk:

At some point, in semester 2, your L2K teacher will allow your class along with other freshman L2K classes to go to the small gym (location may differ) to see the junior L2K job shadow presentations. As you listen to some of these presentations, the presenter may give you a brochure, which list the details of the company and contracts the presenter had a job shadow at. Keep these brochures to contact these companies in the future for a job shadow in junior year and an internship during senior year. The job shadow will last for 20 hours while the internship will last for 40 hours. Additional information on the job shadow and internship will be presented on: https://sites.google.com/a/adams12.org/l2k/home (“Legacy 2000 Program…”).

Overall, L2K is difficult class to survive; however, it can be made possible by procrastinating better, learning how to manage stress, practicing speeches, checking paper margins, taking advantage of assignments, and keeping brochures. L2K is one of the most beneficial classes freshmen can take, regardless of the stress. Thank you for reading!

Works Cited

“An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backwards…..” Lifehack, 2018, https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/11-reasons-why-its-important-follow-your-dreams.html .

Calvert, Lisa. “AP Biology and Chemistry Students Perform Experiments at the College”, College of Charleston, blogs.cofc.edu/ssm/2012/05/243/

“Legacy 2000 Program 2.0.” Google Sites, sites.google.com/a/adams12.org/l2k/home