As a high school student finishing up my junior year, I consider myself an expert on all things high school and therefore plenty qualified to give advice to those who are nervous about beginning their high school career. Of course, I’m still a human being with many faults, but here are some of my tips to help incoming freshman survive the four years they will never forget.
One of the arguably most important things to keep in mind when entering those expansive halls is to get to know and establish connections with the other students in your classes. These are the people you will be spending one hour a day with for an entire year, so making these connections will also make group projects less anxiety-inducing and perhaps even make your classes one of the highlights of your day.
Next, finding the right balance is critical for both recipes, and a successful high school experience. The right balance between your social and school life can be found through trial and error, but you have to consider what you hope to get out of high school. Do you want to attend a prestigious college, where getting excellent grades is a must? Or maybe you want to enter the work force after graduation, where real life experience is more important. It’s possible to achieve both good grades and a thriving social life, but this might not happen right away. If you are not a social person by nature, I suggest finding a group/club on campus that aligns with your interest. And instead of doing what others are doing, try to explore a little bit because there’s always more to high school than meets the eye. On the other hand, if you tend to not be very hard working in school, setting time aside for studying and homework every night would be a very good idea.
And now I wish you good luck, because high school has the potential to be the happy memories you look back on in ten years, if you find the right balance and remember to be yourself.
