September 15, 2015

Advice for High School Freshman


At this point I believe that all schools are back in session, so I thought I would share my advice to freshman. I personally had a very great experience freshman year. In my town there are four different elementary school which all funnel into the same middle school, so I was fortunate enough to already know 99% of the kids I would go to high school with. I genuinely enjoyed most of the classes I took and found myself manageably challenged. There really is nothing to be super nervous about freshman year, it's all an adjustment but you will get it down. I'm sure everyone and their mother has told you that the next four years will go by quickly and they are not kidding. I can't believe I have started my junior year, as I honestly still think of myself as that little freshman. 

+Get Involved
This is probably the best thing that you can do if you are a freshman. If you are at a new school and don't really know a ton of people, getting involved is a great way to get to know people that have similar interests. I know this might seem crazy but I totally recommend attending meetings for any clubs/ activities you think you might even be remotely interested in. This way you can figure out the things that you will most enjoy and then drop anything you don't love. By sophomore year I pretty much knew everything I was serious about staying with and was able to divide up my time between sports and clubs. 

My freshman year, I joined student council on a whim and am now the head of the community service committee and spend lots of time participating in activities with that. I also did crew my freshman year and later realized that it wasn't for me. This decision led me to join the cross country team which I love! Just know that everything will work out the way it's supposed to and you will really be able to figure out your personal interests in your high school years.

+ Go to School Events 
Unlike in middle school, school events are actually super fun! Go to friday night games, homecoming, fundraisers, plays, or any other event that your school has. These events are fun ways to spend time with your friends, get to know new people, and show school spirit. As a freshman, you want to start to get a feel for your school and see everything that it has to offer! 

+Study
You are probably thinking duh, of course I am going to study, its school for God's sake. This is seriously one of the most important things that you can do freshman year as your grades from this year are in essence the foundation of your GPA for the next four years. It is not super easy to get your GPA up significantly, so it is best to start out high and give yourself some buffer room because sophomore and junior year are going to be way harder! You don't really need to be thinking about college at this point, but if you have a good GPA now, your senior year self will thank you during the college application process. High school is a clean slate and your opportunities are endless, so make the most of it! 

+Sleep
Try to get as much sleep as you possibly can. If you finish your homework early, the Netflix can wait until the weekend- take the extra hour of sleep. You are going to have a lot more work than you did in the past and every second of sleep is precious. Freshman year I really learned that I can't effectively take in much information past 11:30. I will honestly do better on an assessment if I call it quits and sleep. Get to know yourself and how your sleep patterns effect your performance in class. 

Good luck to the class of 2019!

xoxo,
Catherine

Preppy by the Sea 


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