Hello CC, I was wondering if I could get advice, as we are approaching the beginning of my freshman year 
Enjoy freshman year It’s the least stressful high school year.
But I’ll be more specific. Figure out how you study best. Do you make flashcards? Or do a bunch of practice problems over and over? Everyone has a different way of learning. See which one is the best for you. I know it’s hard, but try not to procrastinate. The last thing you want to do is stay up till like 2am doing homework because you started homework at like 10pm when you could have started it earlier. Make sure to go to your teachers after school if you’re having trouble, and don’t be shy to ask questions during class. Start thinking about which subjects you’re good/bad at, and what kinds of things interest you. Join clubs that fit you! In freshman year, some of my friends kept telling me to join Debate Club, but I refused because debate is not my thing. Do things that you enjoy!
For me, I liked high school A LOT more than middle school. The experience in my opinion should be similar to middle school, but with a lot more freedom.
One of the best things I got out of my freshman year was productivity. There is a noticeable bump in difficulty (although it depends on the clasess you take) but definitely not something you can’t handle. My procrastination ways have decreased, which Is great, but still exists.
My one advice to you is to get involved in something. Find a club you like that your school has and join it! It’s a way to find friends that have interests like you! Looking back, 90% of my memories came from the events and activities I did in my clubs/sport. You don’t want to look back when it’s all said and done, and say: “all I did was study”. Academics are indeed important at this stage, but you can definitely still have good grades while having a good time.
There are lots of more stuff I could tell you, but I think the best thing is to let you experience it all yourself. Everyone’s story/opinion is different, and yours will probably be different too.
My advice would be study for tests on time. Also don’t care much about social life; think more about your class rank and gpa. Also start prepping for sat. And if you’re taking an ap class, then study a lot and always do your notes. Also take the required courses you need to in your early years of highschool so you have room for your career later on.
Get involved. I’m going into my junior year this year, and one of my biggest regrets is not joining / getting very involved in any clubs. I mean, personally, I don’t like clubs that much, they make me really anxious, but now I’m having to rely on outside ECs (volunteering and what have you.) Clubs are good for free, simple ECs which you need a good amount of to have a decent impression on most bigger colleges.
Try not to stress over the little things. It’s pretty easy to get carried away with the stress in high school, so it helps to find a nice hobby outside of school, or if it’s your thing, a club or two to get your mind off of it.
If you’ve been taking high school classes in middle school, like my school offered, the difficulty level wasn’t much different between my 8th grade year and my freshman year. To me, it seemed like sophomore year was where things got difficult. That being said, figure out your study habits in your freshman year. If you’re taking an AP class, that’s perfect for figuring out the methods that help you out the most, as they do require a lot of studying, but the APs I took my freshman and sophomore year weren’t difficult at all. Figure out your study habits and prepare to put them to good use in your sophomore year, though… (teachers tend to have a lot of give when it comes to freshmen, at least most of mine did… so don’t stress too much.)
Don’t worry if your friend group begins to split up, because pretty much everybody’s does. You will also make new friends, and probably make friends who you can identify with more in high school… I’ve seen a little bit of everything here. Don’t get swept up in your social life, though… high school parties aren’t that great, and you’d rather start off your high school career with a decent GPA than a few less than great parties and drama.
Don’t be afraid of upperclassmen. I know that at my school and any schools that my friends online go to, it’s not like on TV where the upperclassmen make it their goal to ruin the freshmen’s lives. The worst thing that happens at my school is seniors sending freshmen down the wrong hallways on the first day of school when they ask where a classroom is.
Guidance can be your best friend. If you have any questions regarding your schedule, college, scholarship opportunities, graduation requirements, and even things like stress, anxiety, home life, anything really… don’t be afraid to go to guidance. They can answer all of your questions and give you resources that can help with any issue that you may be having.
Plan ahead. Start thinking about what kind of classes you want to take through high school, create a mental checklist of graduation requirements and electives that you’d like to take. Think about what colleges you’d like to attend, whether you’d like to take the SAT or ACT, things like that. Don’t worry too much about making solid plans, but just keeping those things in your mind early on can help out a lot later down the road.
There are a million other things I could say, but those are some of the key points that I wish I knew before starting my freshman year. High school isn’t a very scary place: my friends and I all agreed that high school is way less frightening than middle school ever was. You have so much more freedom and you can make your own choices. Don’t be afraid of it, be confident. (:
I also liked high school more than middle school. In my middle school classes, most of the students were out of control! Students will mature in high school a lot. People also become MUCH friendlier junior/senior year.
Join a club or two. They look great on applications, and they can be tons of fun!
It’s true that most groups of friends split up. Don’t be afraid to talk to anyone, and be social!
There will be tons of drama the first two years, especially if you’re a girl. Try not to get caught up in it. I honestly found it VERY annoying.
This goes without saying, but attending parties with drugs/alcohol is never a good idea.
Freshman year wasn’t extremely hard for me, so don’t worry! Study often, and pay attention in class. Don’t be afraid to ask for extra credit or tutoring.
Start studying for the PSAT, if you decide you’d prefer the SAT.
Enjoy yourself! High school will fly by, even though it doesn’t seem that way during boring classes.