Do's and Don'ts for High School Freshman

Being a high school freshman is a weird experience. You go from being the oldest people in your school to the youngest. There are so many ways that your experience in middle school is vastly different than high school. It’s a hard transition that can be super stressful in the first few weeks. However, we have some do’s and don’ts to help alleviate your stress and make your freshman year more enjoyable and productive!

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DO: Pick one elective that you want to do.

When choosing your courses, it can be tempting to take the most academically challenging courses. On top of your five required courses, some students take AP courses and languages as a freshman. While we do believe it’s incredible for you to have a rigorous course load, freshman year should be your most relaxed year and a year to get familiarized with the school and extracurriculars. I think a proper balance for freshman year is one academically challenging elective and one elective you have an interest in and is a lot more relaxed or fun.

DO: Be aware of the workload.

The transition between middle school and high school is a drastic change. During my first few weeks as a freshman, I was almost overwhelmed by the amount of work I had to do. In middle school, we mainly only consistently got math homework and sometimes had assignments from maybe one or two other classes. Tests and quizzes were a lot less structured and pretty infrequent until it got to the end of the year. But in high school, I felt like I had a lot of work that I had to do in every one of my classes from projects, reading textbooks, essays, and labs. Most of my tests or quizzes would assemble on the same day, which meant I had to study for two to three subjects simultaneously. I had to improve my studying and time management skills. I think knowing about this difference helps make the transition smoother.

DO: Advocate for yourself.

One important skill you have to learn, especially with school, going entirely online now, is to advocate for yourself. Advocating for yourself means you should be emailing and asking teachers or students when you need help or have questions. Get into the habit of taking charge. Teachers do not like talking with your parents; they would rather have a conversation with you. They understand more than anyone about your situation and are willing to help.

DO: Befriend upperclassmen.

You know they always tell you that your seniors are mean, and you shouldn’t interact with them, but almost all of the upperclassmen I have ever met have been nothing but pleasant. Having upperclassmen is nice because you can rely on them for advice on teachers, school, and everything in between.

DO: Join extracurriculars.

In freshman year, you should try out a bunch of extracurricular activities. Even if you aren’t sure if you want to continue it, also just going to their interest meeting could be fun and helpful in making your decision. You never know how it will turn out unless you try it. As a freshman, you should utilize your time to start figuring out what you like to do. Not only do you have more time to do so, but it is also helpful for you to narrow the search of your college major or just to make some new friends with common interests.

DO: Find an outlet for stress.

High school is stressful. From grades, friends, to activities, you will probably feel very stressed sometimes. It’s normal and okay to feel stressed, but you need to have a break to manage that stress and don’t get burned out. Usually, this can take form in an extracurricular like sports, writing, drawing, etc.

DO: Prepare a Study Plan.

Something important, you have to learn as soon as possible is your ideal study plan for tests. Everyone’s mind works differently, so everyone’s study techniques will be different. While this won’t be a personalized study plan, I can give you some ideas by sharing how I like to study for tests and quizzes. (Email us if you do need help ;))For example, I usually try to study 3-4 days before a test. For more content-heavy subjects like biology and history, I typically try to condense a unit’s worth of notes into 1-2 pieces of paper. This method helps me differentiate between what’s essential in the unit and what’s not. It also is a great way to understand and memorize the content since you are subconsciously going through everything. For math, I usually write down all the formulas and fundamental concepts as a study guide, fix all the questions I got wrong on my quizzes and homework, and then just do more practice problems.

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DON’T: Skip your school’s social events.

Being in high school is a once in a lifetime experience. It will pass by so fast, and soon you’ll be off to college. When you leave high school, these are the memories you will take with you. Studying and doing well in school is super important but don’t forget to have fun with your friends!

DON’T: Obsess over your self-image.

When you are in high school it can be so easy to try and fit in and care too much about other people’s opinions. Although it can be hard, you need to recognize that really the only one’s opinions that truly matter is your own. You’re the only one in charge of your own life. It’s up to you to make it better or worse. It’s high school. In a few years or even a few weeks or days, no one will remember if you embarrassed yourself or did something out of your comfort zone.

DON’T: Put less priority on sleep.

Sleep is super important, especially for teens. Sleep helps improve mental and physical health, reduce stress, and helps maintain the routine that is critical for daily functioning. Teens need around 9-9.5 hours of sleep per night. While it is not suggested to try and change your entire sleep schedule overnight, make gradual adjustments to your sleeping time. For example, if right now you sleep at 12 and you want to get to sleep by 11 try for the first few days sleeping at 11:45, and then gradually work your way down to that time.

DON’T: Only take classes because your friends are taking them.

In high school, there are so many new people in your classes that it is nice to just take the same classes as your friends so you have people to talk to in class. However, this can be super detrimental if your only taking classes because your friends are taking them. If the class is too hard, easy, or not interesting why are you even taking it? Now, this in no means is meant to discourage you from new classes or electives. Just always make sure that you know what your intentions are for choosing a course.

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Remember, everyone is nervous on their first day of freshman year. Everyone is in the same boat as you, so don’t feel that anxious! Keep these tips in mind as you navigate through your freshman year!