<p>I wonder if the warm-hearted people here on this board can provide any "I wish I knew" advices for the new prep students. Things from course selection and planning, time managements, what to take for boarding, college counseling, balancing between academic studies, sports, extra curriculumns, club activities, community services, anything else you may think of. Thank you all in advance!</p>
<p>what school will you be attending in the fall?</p>
<p>Don't pack everything you own, it's a b10tch to pack it all up again in the end. DOn't let your parents influence what you want to take. DOn't worry about college until you're in 11th grade. DON'T BE PRETENTIOUS. You won't be the best, you'll be mediocre. Dont' judge yourself based on other people, because your'e going to be one in many. Don't follow the rules to the point where you're a square and you're boring. Curse during dialougues in your English essays: it adds to that whole, "natural" speech they try to make you learn. Stay up, it makes you cool. Don't work too hard, it's just high school. Have a life. Don't drink and don't do weed. Don't be stupid. Don't mess with the upperclassmen.</p>
<p>Join clubs that interest you, not the ones your friends are joining. A bookcase and a seat cushion can really come in handy. You can wear clothes a couple times before you have to wash them. Start your homework before "study hours".</p>
<p>Don't do all your homework. You'll learn which is important and which isn't. It's not all about academics.</p>
<p>Do lots of activities, even once you have a "group" of friends. It's always fun to meet new people.
Don't spend all your money at Grill.
Do clean your room regularly, or it piles up and gets gross and then Mr. Feng yells at you a lot and makes you clean it up.
Do remember to give yourself alone time to take a breather and chill. Renting movies from the library is a nice way of doing it.
Don't sweat stuff. You'll probably be mindnumbingly miserable at least once. Everyone will hate you. You will cry in your room all night alone....</p>
<p>And then you'll get over it.
And life will go on.</p>
<p>Don't even think about college until 11th grade (but then again, if you're on this site, I somehow doubt if my advice will be heeded).</p>
<p>Do community service at least once each term.</p>
<p>Work during you're free periods.</p>
<p>Don't procrastinate all you're work until Sunday night.</p>
<p>Andover specific: the worst hw nights are Thursday and Sunday, especially if you are a freshman boy. Don't dick around on Wednesday and follow the thing above me to avoid potential issues this might cause.</p>
<p>Try new things: sports, clubs, instruments, courses you never thought you would like, etc etc.</p>
<p>Sleep. 7+ at the minimum. 9 and 1/4 is the perfect length.</p>
<p>Check out some of the cultural activities on the weekends. It's worth it. </p>
<p>Don't argue about every little thing with your friends.</p>
<p>Blow off your homework once in awhile to hang out with your friends.</p>
<p>Trust me...you'll thank me later.</p>
<p>actually i was going to say...lighten up now that you're part of a prep school. don't be snobby, do party a little but don't go too far beyond alc and weed</p>
<p>No. Don't do homework during free periods. That's lame and you're locked up in a room by yourself. LAME. Do homework in the middle of dhall. Granted you won't get any done, at least your'e around people. There are more important things in college apps than grades. Of course colleges know you'll be able to do well in their school sicne you go to the top prep school. So why stress over grades? Just don't go below C's. That's the only thing.</p>
<p>Things to know when entering boarding school...</p>
<p>You're not cool when you're a prep. Don't think you are, don't act like it, and realize that it's okay.</p>
<p>Don't pull all nighters for academics. Pull it for fun to hang out with friends and watch movies and gossip. But not all the time.</p>
<p>Make sure that the school doesn't become your entire world, keep in touch with the outside.</p>
<p>Keep trying new things every year, especially things you couldn't have done at home. You'll meet awesome people.</p>
<p>Don't ask other people for their grades or tell people what your grades are. What matters is you, not other people, and you don't have to prove anything to them.</p>
<p>Don't spend all your time in dining hall, it can be a time vortex.</p>
<p>What you'll remember won't be what you got on that chemistry test in 10th grade, but the people experiences. Have a lot of them, don't stress too much about school.</p>
<p>Get to know a few faculty members really well, you won't regret it.</p>
<p>Prep school sounds so much fun. I can't wait!</p>
<p>really contribute to your school and get involved with things you love, academically, socially, in your extracurriculars, and otherwise. it is so rewarding.</p>
<p>sit out on the grass on nice days with your friends. admire the fall foliage. have snowball fights. play tennigolf. walk downtown and get coffee and sandwiches.</p>
<p>dont become pompous. it is so unattractive and will get you nowhere in life.</p>
<p>learn to prioritize (its an amazingly useful skill). </p>
<p>dont let failure discourage you. youll forget about it but remember the lessons you learn. you will still get into college.</p>
<p>get to know your teachers, theyll probably be brilliant and fascinating people as well as great resources.</p>
<p>have fun!</p>
<p>but most importantly, pop your collar.</p>
<p>"dont become pompous. it is so unattractive and will get you nowhere in life...
but most importantly, pop your collar."</p>
<p>the most incongruous post EVER haha</p>
<p>well, you have to accept your preppiness!</p>
<p>I thought being preppy wasn't cool?</p>
<p>
[quote]
You're not cool when you're a prep.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Or is he/she talking about poser preps?</p>
<p>Prep stands for Freshman, for those of you not aware of the way we name kids in boarding schools.</p>
<p>haha, all of my friends in middle school hated the popped-collar look. they told me never to date anyone who wore polos with popped collars. lol.</p>
<p>it sounds like a lot of fun. i can't wait to be playing frisbee on the great lawn, or catching dinner at bertucci's, or eating at commons. :-D</p>
<p>oh youre going to andover! loved it there. also, we dont call freshman preps, we call them juniors.</p>
<p>Andover calls freshman juniors? That could get confusing...</p>