Freshman help tips

Any tips for a freshman going into high school?

Value your sleep, avoid procrastinating, join clubs, and avoid fake people.

Just try to have fun and meet new people. Freshman year will probably be your easiest year so enjoy it while you can :stuck_out_tongue:

  1. Use your first two years to make a foundation for your GPA, because classes will escalate in difficulty afterward.
  2. Find a trusted adult or teacher on campus, and use them for guidance.
  3. Understand that the friends you walk in with at Frosh Orientation will probably not be the same people you will walk out with at graduation, and that's okay!
  4. WORK hard, but also PLAY hard!
  5. Make an agenda and to do list everyday so you do not fall behind!

Good Luck Class of 2021!

  1. Keep on top of your grades and don't shy away from taking higher level courses.
  2. Join clubs or other activities. Freshman year is the best time to sample a bunch of different things. Then pick a couple which you really love and excel at them.
  3. Find a community. In my case, it was band. But for you it could be band, choir, a club, a sport. Having a group of people who share a common interest is amazing. It's like you have another family.
  4. Don't obsess over romantic relationships. Not having a date to a dance is NOT a big deal. Also, don't pursue someone just to prove that you're desirable. I've done that before..MAJOR mistake.
  5. People say this a lot..but the people you think are your friends now, probably won't be there in 4 years time. I lost a best friend of seven years during high school. People change, people can be fake, and people grow apart. Never blame yourself for losing a friend. It all works out in the end.
  6. Have good relationships with teachers. They are people too and when you have a close relationship its really nice to have someone to go to for advice besides your parents.
  7. You'll get stressed out. You will. We all do. However, sometimes you just have to take some time to yourself. The best thing to know is that you CANNOT do everything. People have their strengths, and people have their weaknesses. You don't have to be perfect. No one is.
  8. Take lots of pictures. As a senior, I regret not having photos of all the fun things I've done.
  9. Don't be scared if the goals you have now change. The plan you have now is a work in progress. Life happens, desires change, and sometimes things get turned upside.
  10. Be yourself. Seriously.

Just a lil advice from an incoming senior I guess. Also highschool goes by FAST, and you won’t realize how fast until you’re almost done. This is CRAZY.
GOOOD LUCK :-*

Thank you alll. :slight_smile: :slight_smile:

  1. GO TO CLASS, READ THE CHAPTERS, AND DO THE HOMEWORK!

  2. Go to Teacher’s office hours early in the semester and Ask this question: “I know this is a really difficult class-- what are some of the common mistakes students make and how can I avoid them?”

  3. If you have problems with the homework, go to Teacher’s office hours. If they have any “help sessions” or “study sessions” or “recitations” or any thing extra, go to them.

  4. Form a study group with other kids in your class.

  5. Don’t do the minimum…for STEM classes do extra problems. You can buy books that just have problems for calculus or physics or chemistry whatever. Watch online videos on line about the topic you are studying.

  6. If things still are not going well, get a tutor.

  7. Read this book: How to Become a Straight-A Student: The Unconventional Strategies Real College Students Use to Score High While Studying Less by Cal Newport. It helps you with things like time management and how to figure out what to write about for a paper, etc.

  8. For tests that you didn’t do well on, can you evaluate what went wrong? Did you never read that topic? Did you not do the homework for it? Do you kind of remember it but forgot what to do? Then next time change the way you study…there may be a study skill center at your college.

  9. How much time outside of class do you spend studying/doing homework?

  10. If you run into any social/health/family troubles (you are sick, your parents are sick, someone died, broke up with boy/girlfriend, suddenly depressed/anxiety etcetc) then immediately go to the guidance counselor and talk to them.

  11. At the beginning of the semester, read the syllabus for each class. It tells you what you will be doing and when tests/HW/papers are due. Put all of that in your calendar. The teacher may remind you of things, but it is all there for you to see so take initiative and look at it.

  12. Make sure you understand how to use your online class system…Login to it, read what there is for your classes, know how to upload assignments (if that is what the prof wants).

  13. If you get an assignment…make sure to read the instructions and do all the tasks on the assignment. Look at the rubric and make sure you have covered everything.

  14. If you are not sure what to do, go EARLY to the teacher’s office hours…not the day before the assignment is due.

  15. Take advantage of any “re-do” tests your teacher might have…your teacher wants you to learn the material. Future material depends on it so you need to have the foundation. By explaining what went wrong you really understand it. Take advantage of this.

  16. Join at least one or two clubs/sports/bands your freshman year. See what you are interested in…if you don’t do sports or band, join a few clubs and see which ones work for you.

  17. Don’t be afraid to politely ask someone out on a date (make sure they get to know you a bit first)…

  18. Take honors courses if you can…but also explore some electives if you have room in your schedule.

It’s really easy to only focus on taking difficult classes and getting as many APs as possible–don’t do this… at least not at first. Know you district’s graduation requirements. This is critical. You can take as many APs as you want, but if your senior year is just health, PE, and that one speech class you forgot to take, it will look like you’re slacking off. Use those requirements to craft schedules that gradually increase in difficulty. Not only will this make it easier for you to settle in, but it will show people that you’re willing to work harder.

Also make sure you don’t take a class you aren’t ready for…Don’t take AP Chem sophomore year and then be upset you didn’t do well. It is more important that you do well in what classes whenever you take them instead of trying to take as many as you can as early as you can and not doing well. Colleges care very very much more about your grade in a class than they do of the AP test score.