<p>Make sure to spend time with your friends! Your four years in high school will fly by, and before you know it everyone’s busy by senior year doing their own thing. Your schedules will rarely match up as well as they did in the beginning of high school. Make the most of it!</p>
<p>The best advice I can give for you adjusting socially is to put yourself out there a lot, especially if you are coming to a new school. Don’t be afraid to join a club where you don’t know anyone, or to go to a party where you only know one person. Use these as opportunities to meet new people, and make some friends. I made most of my friends freshman year by going into situations which I was initially uncomfortable (i.e the party with only two people I know).</p>
<p>Academically the best advice I can give is don’t slack. Just work hard all year, and you’ll be fine. Also, don’t get too stressed out over freshman classes. There are a few annoying people in my grade who complain about being “stressed” all the time. They usually complain about spending 2 hours on an assignment which takes a normal human being 30 minutes. Don’t be that freshman.</p>
<p>The other social advice I can give you is to socialize with upperclassmen. Personally, I usually like upperclassmen a little bit better than freshman. Freshman sometimes act like middle school kids, and upperclassmen don’t. </p>
<p>Final advice: don’t that innocent and condescending freshman. There are a lot of freshmen I know who say stuff like, “I would never drink alcohol” or “smoking pot is like the worst thing ever.” I can guarantee you that at one point in your life you will drink a beer, and if you smoke one joint of marijuana at a party you will not get brain cancer in two weeks (Just so we’re clear: I am NOT advocating drug use). What I am advocating is for you not to be a judgmental prick. If you act like that condescending freshman, then I can guarantee you will have a hard time making friends with upperclassmen.</p>
<p>Don’t be cocky, so many freshman come and still think they are top dog. The totem pole has reset, please act mature.</p>
<p>At my school, every year an award is given out to the freshman who acts the most “freshman-like.” Basically it is for the loudest and most immature kid. Don’t be that freshman!
Don’t act like your classes are the hardest thing ever and that high school is killing you. Compared to upperclassmen, your schedule is nothing.
Bottom line, don’t be annoying and try to be mature. I actually made friends with several freshmen last year.</p>
<p>Please please BE YOURSELF! I cannot emphasize that enough. I remember trying too hard to be someone Im not to impress others especially during freshman year so please dont do anything you think you have to do when you really dont want to because guess what? You dont.</p>
<p>Also make sure you’re on top of your schoolwork and never EVER procrastinate!! Learn that lesson all too well. </p>
<p>Lastly, read often. It will only benefit you.</p>
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<p>Completely disagree. If you’re socially inept, you won’t improve your social skills by avoiding social situations. The only way to stop being socially inept is to get out of your comfort zone and start talking to people. Unless you want to stay socially inept, which is weird. </p>
<p>And as a recent HS graduate, here is some advice that I would give to puny new freshmen:</p>
<p>Academics
-Participate in class and get on good terms with your teachers. Don’t be a teacher’s pet who stays after and chats with the teacher every day though. Crap like that gets annoying fast.
-Do all of your homework and study enough to at least maintain good grades (healthy mix of As and Bs)
-Take a challenging courseload that won’t consume your life
-Don’t start freaking out about college admissions. Cmon, you’re only a freshman. Save the college/SATs stress for junior year
-Try to stay off of College Confidential until your junior year. Trust me, you’ll thank me for this</p>
<p>Social
-Don’t get involved in stupid and pointless drama
-Don’t be a condescending little prick who looks down upon anyone who uses drugs or alcohol
-Don’t be an obnoxious d-bag, especially in hallways. It doesn’t matter if you were a “cool kid” in middle school; you’re at the bottom of the totem pole as a freshman no matter what
-Remember that in the end, IT’S JUST HIGH SCHOOL. 4 years from now, it won’t matter if you were the “popular kid” or what clique you were part of. So don’t take the social hierarchy too seriously, because it’ll probably end up changing anyways.
-Get involved in what you’re interested in. Join a few clubs, but don’t do it just to pad your college resume.
-Go to school events like homecoming
-Hang out with your friends as much as you can, and also try to make new friends. Don’t stay confined to your social circle/clique.
-Don’t give a crap about what people think about you. Trust me, it doesn’t matter if the jocks think you’re weird or some random people don’t like you.
-Get to know some upperclassmen
-Get out of your comfort zone as much as possible. Learn a new skill you’ve always wanted to learn, or get to know someone you who you think is chill. When you’re cowering in your comfort zone, you’re acting like you get to live twice. In reality, you only live once so get out :D</p>
<p>Don’t be cocky/pretentious/arrogant/condescending. Upperclassmen hate that, since typically freshman have nothing to be cocky about. And remember that you’re called a freshman for a reason.</p>
<p>Also, don’t care too much about what other people are doing. Be chill. Good advice for all four years.</p>
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<p>Disagree with this advice. It’s sometimes best to try to figure out why people think of you the way the way they do. Just be able to weigh their criticism with your own values. For instance, if Jack goes around punching people in the face, and subsequently looses his friends, he would do well to give a crap about why people think of him the way they do. Take criticism. It’s sometimes the only way you can improve. Just be sure to know the source of the criticism and whether you’re willing to change that particular aspect of yourself.</p>
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<p>Speaking from experience: I tried improving my social skills for years and years from grade school to my first 2 years of high school by trying to socialize with people very often. By the end of my sophomore year, I had never made a single friend, I was the butt of most of the jokes at school, and I still had trouble taking part in normal conversations. </p>
<p>Looking back, I’ve learned that keeping your mouth shut can do you lots of good. As a person who used to strive for social acceptance while being very inept at having the most basic of conversations, I would have been happier as someone who didn’t talk to anyone, than as someone who ended up being ridiculed by the rest of his classmates. If you’re not good at keeping up a regular conversation or even recognizing simple social cues, then it’s a wise decision in my eyes to stay out of chat unless you’re spoken to. You may learn a lot more by staying quiet and listening to people that are talking than by trying to develop your skills firsthand all of the time.</p>
<p>Advice from a high school senior:</p>
<p>Don’t slack off, you’ll regret it SO much in the future. Don’t take unnecessarily hard classes on subjects you don’t like if it’s just going to cause you a lot of stress. Don’t involve yourself with drama. Don’t gossip. Don’t **** people off. Don’t let people walk all over you. Don’t change who you are to fit in. Don’t focus solely on grades because in the end, happiness triumphs over money. Remember, procrastination is the enemy of success. </p>
<p>Do join clubs about things you’re interested about as soon as possible. Make a lot of friends. “Be kind and compassionate and the whole world will be your friend.” Make friends with the teachers; make sure to respect them in class. Make friends with the guidance counselors. Take classes that you’re interested in. Make good use of your study halls/free blocks. “Study all day, party all night.” Sleep enough, eat healthy, and exercise regularly.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>freshman year is the easiest and its 1/4 of your highschool gpa…i have friends who did just as well as me junior year but have gpas 3-4 points higher because they actually tried freshman and sophomore years. it pays off</p></li>
<li><p>befriend some sophomores, and maybe even juniors. dont bother the seniors</p></li>
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<p>I was so nervous when I was going into freshman year, but only because I was afraid my friends from the previous year wouldn’t still be friends with me since we never even talked the whole summer (i lost my phone…). I tried to sit around people I thought I might like, and away from people I thought I wouldn’t like. I found similar interests with people and didn’t start arguments (a friend I met I found really hated gay marriage and what not, and she would spout off that they’d be sorry when jesus came or something, everything else about her was so cool, and since that certain opinion of hers didn’t really concern me, I just left it alone) . </p>
<p>Hm… what else… haha, theres practically no one to sit with at lunch in some sense, but there’s so many people that have no one to sit with, they all sit with eachother. (complete strangers might all pile into a table together and become friends) .</p>
<p>HMMMM… umm… dont be uptight, dont make it obvious your a freshman (no one in most of my classes even knew I was a freshy), try not to wear so much name brand stuff (it was really big in middleschool but it just got old and stupid. People still wear a ton of name brand, but nothing that has ‘hollister’ plastered across the front of it).</p>
<p>I wouldnt try to push yourself into the ‘popular’ crowd… but… hmm… just befriend as many people as you can 
. this will also help you a ton if you want to get on student council or something (be nice to everyone!!! and make an effort to get to know people) which really can look good on a college app.</p>
<p>Do ALL your homework assignments. The points add up overtime. In my second semester I slacked off a lot on homework and in some classes I barely squeaked by with an A. I just had to make sure to get high A’s on tests, however I do not recommend this approach for any class, but especially harder ones.</p>
<p>Don’t listen to reed207. Be a human being and just talk to people without being a gigantic weirdo and you’ll make plenty of friends. Don’t be one of those forever alone types who takes himself too seriously and just sits in front of the computer all day under the illusion that everybody else is inferior to him. </p>
<p>A lot of what you’ll see on this website is prestige obsessed no-lifes who don’t do anything but study and surf the web. Please don’t be one of them. Find something you like and stick to it and really cherish it. It doesn’t have to be something like volunteering at a hospital, playing violin or piano, debate club, or other “typical” extra-curriculars. It should be whatever you as a PERSON enjoy. That’s more important than doing whatever it is you think will get you into college. </p>
<p>Work hard, do your homework, but please don’t forget to indulge in whatever it is you have a passion for. I think this is really so, so important and it pains me to see people who don’t have a life outside of school. Be a person.</p>
<p>Have fun and get off this website because for the most part it’s a gigantic black hole of intellectual elitism and misinformation. Come back later in like junior-senior year for specific information but don’t waste too much time. You’ll regret it. I know I do.</p>
<p>Academically: Don’t wait to get anything done. Take as many credits as you can handle.
Socially: Dont act like you know everything. If an upperclassmen is telling you something about the school or life lessons just say “okay thanks” not “yeah I know” because you probably don’t know and it’s just annoying when freshman think they’re great.</p>
<p>Take challenging courses, join clubs, and have fun!</p>
<p>Dos:
Do your homework (at my school, if you miss three assignments the highest grade you can get even with tests is an 82).
Do go out for clubs and sports teams and try to make friends with (but DON’T annoy) the upperclassmen on the team. They’ll be a great resource when trying to figure out what courses to take for the next year (possible teachers or scenarios you’d be getting) and for rides. And, occasionally, they’ll help you meet cute guys. It’s great.
Do make good connections with your teachers. For my before school class two teacher recommendations are required for the application. I chose my history and English teachers because I had the best connections with them. You never know what possibilities (scholarships or summer programs even) might pop up, so definitely get to know your teachers.
Do try to make as little enemies as possible, but also stand your ground. High school is a learning experience for everyone-faculty included.</p>
<p>Don’ts:
DO NOT EVER stop in the middle of the hallway. Also, learn how to walk. My school is a quarter of a mile long (literally) and we have five minutes to get to the next class. If you’re stopping me from getting from science to math in five minutes then I’m going to make a big deal out of it. Sorry, I’d rather not have another tardy on my record because someone doesn’t know how to walk.
Do not purposely go against the layout or rules of the cafeteria. At my school, there is one section that is for frosh and sophomores. They get a whole cafeteria basically to themselves. It’s not written in stone like that, it’s just the way things work. Don’t sit on the upperclassmen’s side unless you know someone there who wants to have lunch with you. You will be looked at and thought of as weird.
Do not make fun of the nerds. I know, most people on here would classify as or call themselves nerds. Some on here don’t. Just don’t do it. We’re going to be the ones running the world one day. You don’t want to get on our bad side.
Do not try to do everything for the sake of getting into college. For example: don’t take the hardest schedule possible if you know deep down you won’t make it through the year. Don’t overload yourself with ECs when you know you can’t make it all work.</p>
<p>High school is not by any means the best time of your life, I can tell you that right now. Whoever said that is a liar. It’s not as great as Grease portrays it to be, nor is it (always) as cut throat as it is in Mean Girls. It’s sometimes a happy medium, other times a H ell hole, and sometimes it’s lovely. It’s what you make of it, but a lot of things are still out of your control. Just try your best and do everything in your power to have a good time. You have, hopefully, four years left of school. It goes by quickly. I remember standing outside of my school on the first day of freshman year freaking out because I was so nervous. Now, I’m getting ready to be a first day orientation leader for the new freshies. It’s crazy, it’s hectic, but then again, so is life. Just live it up (and don’t spend your whole life here on CC).</p>
<p>There are many don’t but these are the most important: Don’t try to call attention to yourself by being obnoxious and offensive. The upperclassmen are certainly laughing at you, not with you. Don’t go to a party and drink and be sloppy because you will get a reputation that will stick with you for a long time. You will not look cool. I repeat: YOU WILL NOT LOOK COOL</p>
<p>Onto the positives: Do step out of your comfort zone and take a class just became it sounds interesting. Do mind your school work because a rough freshman year can make you look like you don’t adapt well to an admissions officer. Do get involved in clubs even if your friends aren’t; freshman year is the best time to make some new friends. Do be you no matter what because it will be a lot more fun to have real friends for the next four years rather than having to keep up an act. Most important do: HAVE SOME FUN, but not too much (;</p>
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<p>Agree with what you said here, but what I was really trying to say is that one shouldn’t hold back from doing what he/she really wants to do just because of what other people may think. </p>
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<p>Thing is, if you ever want to get better at conversation or socializing in general, you’re going to have to get out of your comfort zone and start talking to people. You can learn some social skills by listening and observing, but you’re there’s no better way to learn than getting firsthand experience. Think of it this way: You can get a general idea of how to play a sport by watching and observing, but you won’t be able to really grasp the skill unless you actually play. </p>
<p>If you don’t practice keeping regular conversations or recognizing simple social cues, then you will always suck at them, plain and simple. I used to be super shy and awkward, and I was even picked on by some of the “popular” kids. However, I later on stopped caring about what people thought of me and did my own thing while trying to become more social. By the end of high school, I was much more social than before, and I no longer had the negative reputation I used to have. I never could’ve made my positive change by just being a forever-aloner who never spoke or left his comfort zone.</p>
<p>GET A PLANNER/ ORGANIZER!</p>
<p>Edit: the one on your phone is okay, but no teacher will forbid you from using a notebook. It’s a great way to keep track of deadlines, assignments, etc. And use it for stuff outside of school. If you will be out of town one weekend, jot it down so you will know ahead of time to do your work.</p>