Coming into high school as a fishy many anticipate being eschewed and disregarded as young and ignorant. There is an element of this in high school yet many upperclassmen don’t care about freshmen as long as they are respectful. Part of high school is having to do your time. If you want certain privileges and respect you have to go through your early years aware of this.

Before going into high school lots of kids worry about the work load. Teachers tell them that it’s going to be really challenging. Like nothing they’ve ever done before! But in reality high school is just building on what you’ve done in past years in terms of the material being taught. Yeah, you have more homework but it’s kind of easier to blow it off and procrastinate because of the A and B day schedule.

People always say things like “Get involved, get involved.” I’m not for it or against it, but personally I think it’s just whatever you think is right for you. If you already have a lot of friends to hang out with, then maybe you don’t need something like a club or program. But if you are nervous about making friends and meeting new people then getting involved in some activity is really good, that way you can meet kids with a common interest.

In high school there’s this big ominous question hanging over your head “what will I do when I get out of here??” Teachers cram it down your throat. Your future. Your future. What will you do? What will you do? The more I think about the more I realize that it’s best to just go with the flow in high school. Spending your time studying all night and stressing over a perfect GPA just isn’t really worth it. Some kids manage to do it, but if that’s not for you personally, then don’t stress. You need to get your work done. But also have some fun, high school’s about meeting new people, enjoying your youth, and having a good innocent time before life responsibilities set in.

As a freshman halfway done with my first year of high school, my biggest tip would be to do fun crazy things. Hopefully after it’s over, you can look back and smile because your whole time there didn’t put you in a stress-induced coma.