My Tips for Highschool Freshmen!
So, summer is halfway done, and I know a lot of my followers will be starting highschool soon, so here are my tips for all of you on how to make your highschool years the best they can be~
If you’re going into a new school with a lot of your friends from middle school, don’t feel like you need to only stick with them. There are going to be so many new, great people at your school, and you don’t want to miss out! Think of this as a new chapter of your life. You don’t want to be stuck in middle school!
Talk to new people! Even if you meet people who seem different from you, still try to get to know them. They may have more in common with you than you think.
Don’t feel like you have to change your interests or personality in order to make friends. It’s always good to try new things, but don’t change your interests or personality in order to fit in! It’s really not worth it. If you’re shy and like anime but you want to be friends with the loud theatre kids, go be friends with the loud theatre kids! You don’t have to change!
But don’t expect to be friends with everybody, because you won’t be. Sometimes you just won’t get along with some people, and that’s fine. Don’t let those people discourage you or make you think you can’t have friends or have fun!
And don’t expect to be enemies with everybody you don’t get along with either. If you don’t like someone and they don’t like you, don’t talk to them. There’s no need for drama!
Remember that not every highschool is like the ones portrayed on television or in books or movies. A lot of highschools aren’t nearly as clique-based, and some are.
You might lose your best friend from middle school, and that’s okay! You’re growing up and moving forward, and that’s very very important!
You don’t need a boyfriend, girlfriend, partner, crush, or even really a best friend. You’ll survive highschool without them all, I promise!
But do try to find people you can trust and talk to! Highschool is a whole lot more fun if you try and talk to people and make friends!
There’s no shame in eating lunch by yourself! Take out a book or pretend to study, and people will understand.
If you have a crush on a person and you think you’d like to be in a relationship with them, just try to talk to them! I know it sounds impossible, but reality isn’t a television show. They won’t magically know that you like them if you don’t try to befriend them first.
It’s also alright to have a crush on a person without wanting to be in a relationship. That’s totally cool too!
IF YOU ARE IN A RELATIONSHIP AND YOUR PARTNER HURTS YOU PHYSICALLY, THREATENS YOU, FORCES YOU TO HAVE SEX OR DRINK OR DO DRUGS, MANIPULATES YOU TO THE POINT OF MISCONDUCT, OR ISOLATES YOU FROM YOUR FRIENDS: YOU NEED TO GET OUT OF THAT RELATIONSHIP, EVEN IF YOU STILL LOVE THEM. YOU CANNOT FIX THEM, AND THEY DO NOT LOVE YOU. ASK FOR HELP AND GET OUT.
Okay! Back to less intense stuff.
Start to plan ahead this year. This doesn’t mean you have to start looking at colleges or stuff like that. Just try to figure out what you’re passionate about and what you’d like to do one day and whether or not you’d like to go to college! Otherwise, you’ll be stuck making bunches of un-thought-out decisions when you graduate, and it’ll suck. Your 18-year-old self will thank you!
Try out different clubs and activities! And take fun electives! Don’t think you can’t try out for a sport or audition for a role just because you’re a freshmen. Because later you’re going to feel awkward for not starting clubs and stuff at the beginning of highschool.
Try to take classes that you think will benefit you later too though! If you’re interested in becoming a doctor, try to focus on taking as many biology classes as you can!
Dress however you’d like (within dress codes, if you don’t want to get in trouble)! But try to wear things that are comfortable! And if you go clothes shopping, stick with solid colors so you have more items to mix and match!
Avoid wearing too much makeup though! You can wear it if you’d like, but countless times I have fallen asleep at lunch or rubbed my eyes by accident, and I would look like hell. Also, if you miss a makeup day, a lot of people will ignorantly ask if you’re sick, and that won’t help your morale.
Upperclassmen at your school will probably be sort of dickish during the first weeks of school, but they’ll chill eventually. Just stay out of their way and feed their ego for the first weeks, and everything should be fine!
And don’t crowd the hallways. If you feel like you’re in the way, move so you won’t be!
Don’t think that you have to drink, smoke, have sex, or do drugs to be cool and liked! I know people have been telling you this since the 1st grade, but it’s really just fine to say no to things. People should respect your decision if you choose not to do these things, and if they don’t, then they aren’t good friends.
And if you’re the friend inviting someone to party hard with you and they say no, don’t be a dick! Be supportive and kind and respect their decision.
Also, people aren’t having sex or partying nearly as much as they say that they are. Just saying.
If you do do drugs or get involved in all that, don’t bring them to school. Shit happens, and you don’t want to get expelled.
In general, support your school! Even if you think it’s sort of lame. Go to sports games and concerts and performances! Buy a cookie from the library club’s bake sale. Donate money for fundraisers, if you can.
And don’t forget to support the girls’ teams!!
Don’t be a jerk to people who aren’t like you just because they’re not like you. Don’t make fun of people who do sports, people who do band, people who do theatre, people who don’t do anything, etc. You don’t want to turn into a Mean Girl!
Use a planner! If you didn’t need one in middle school, chances are you’ll need one now! Use it to plan out your afternoons and evenings, so you aren’t cramming for every test. Time management is key!
Make lots of lists! They are very helpful when it comes to organizing tasks!
Try to sleep as much as possible. Avoid all-nighters at all costs! You work slower and less efficiently when you‘re tired, and if you don’t sleep enough you’ll be sluggish in school (and you won’t learn anything and you’ll end up doing poorly anyway) and you’ll get sick (which means missing school). If it’s 1am and you still need to finish your homework, just do the bare minimum and focus on getting to sleep.
Oh yeah. Do your homework. It’s not an option anymore!
And that includes studying too. I was one of those kids who didn’t study freshman or sophomore year because I didn’t need to, and by the time APs rolled around in junior and senior year, I realized I didn’t know how to study and I was fucked. So yeah. Study. Even if you don’t think you need to.
Go to your classes. You’ll be happy you did in the end!
Talk to your teachers! They’ll be more willing to give you extra credit or do you favors. Plus, it just makes class easier to bear!
There’s no shame whatsoever in going to extra review sessions with the teacher! All the smart kids go to extra review sessions. I should know ;)
If you go to a highschool where they made you buy your own text books like I did, check Amazon first, before looking at textbook websites. Sometimes you can find a $200 textbook for $5 on there. And then you can sell the textbook for $50 at the end of the year to other students, and boom! You’ve got profit.
At the beginning of the year, splurge on school supplies! And make sure you have a sturdy bookbag, even if it’s expensive. The last thing you need is a sore back or shoulders! Avoid one-shoulder bags (I know they’re cute, but I don’t know a single person who kept their one-shoulder bag for longer than a month) and rolling bookbags (everybody will hate you probably). Try to find one that’ll last four years! I personally used a standard North Face bookbag through highschool, and now I’m using a Kanken bookbag for my college classes. Both have been excellent investments!
If you don’t have to wear a uniform, make sure you always plan your outfit the night before! You’ll be happy with the extra five minutes the next morning.
Set alarms and alarms and alarms in the morning!
When you do your homework or when you’re studying, make sure you do it somewhere quiet. I know you think you work better with the television on or with Netflix or tumblr running, but you probably don’t. You’re just lowering your productivity, and soon it’ll be 1am, and you’ll have nothing done!
Also, try listening to classical music when you study or do work! Either classical music or piano covers of your favorite songs!
Take breaks when you work! You’ll get more done if you take ten minute breaks every two hours or so!
Avoid caffeine unless necessary! You’ll probably get antsy, which won’t help you. Or you’ll become dependent on it. Remember caffeine is a drug.
If you’re studying a topic and you’re stuck or confused, google the topic! You’ll probably find great Youtube videos or websites explaining it. Also look at KhanAcademy and Quizlet. Both are super helpful and saved my ass a lot!
Also check out the studyblr side of tumblr! Going through studyblr blogs can help with motivation, and those bloggers have lots of great ideas for studying and time management.
Don’t cheat!!! You’re not as clever as you think you are. Your teacher will get suspicious if everybody has the same answer to an essay question or if you solve your complex math problem without any work. Plus, you’re just going to suffer when you take the test or exam.
And don’t plagiarize! If you don’t know how to cite something, email your teacher and explain the situation! They’ll be happy to help, or at least they’ll know you didn’t have any ill intent!
If you feel like everything is getting too overwhelming, talk to your teacher, counselor, or parents. At least one of them will give you some guidance and pity and help you through it!
It’s okay to take a mental health day once or twice a semester! Just make sure your day off is doing more good than bad.
Also, if you are breaking down, remember you don’t have to finish your homework or cram for that test. Sometimes it’s better just to go to sleep and deal with things in the morning when you have a clear head! Getting a below-average grade is better than becoming mentally or physically ill with stress.
SORRY ABOUT THE SPELLING/GRAMMAR ERRORS BTW
If you ever need any advice or homework help or anything at all, let me know! I’ve been through it all, and I survived! And you totally can too! <3
