<p>Have fun and be involved… definitely take advantage of any opportunities you have!</p>
<p>Try to get over the initial OMIGOSH IT’S HIGH SCHOOL! GOTTA LOOK PERFECT! mentality as soon as you can.</p>
<p>Life is so much easier when you don’t care what other people think.</p>
<p>//Don’t hook up with an older guy. No matter how alluring he may be. It just does not work.//</p>
<p>From experience?</p>
<p>^Especially not senior guys. Unless you’re looking for a hit it and quit it.</p>
<p>From personal advice, just don’t date until sophomore year if you feel you absolutely need to. This is an important time for you, focus on establishing yourself.
You know that awful quote: “Your still finding yourself, you don’t need to understand somebody else along with it”
As awful as it is, its kinda true…</p>
<p>Not necessarily true. If you know what you’re getting into when you do it, it shouldn’t be a problem. If you want a hookup…no big deal. If you’re looking for a relationship…not so much.</p>
<p>1) yea the whole “let’s stand in a 15 person cluster that stretches across the entire hallway making it impossible for anyone to get by…” you have no idea how much that ****es me off…</p>
<p>2) don’t be obnoxious. don’t scream in high pitches. </p>
<p>3) try not to care too much about what people think about you (this one pretty damn hard freshman year… but it gets way easier as you get older 
). don’t judge others too harshly, either. sometimes the dumbest looking jock is the kid getting A+s in 5 APs… or the spell bowl champ is the one who really knows how to party. haha… i think my favorite thing about high school is all the different types of people (from sporty kids, socialites, theater kids, hippies, science-olympiad kids) that i’ve become friends with </p>
<p>4) try new things. academically, socially, whatever. take a few fun classes, try getting to know some new people… the one thing i regret about high school is not branching out from my group of friends earlier. i really didn’t start making an effort to meet new people until my junior year… and began to see what i’d been missing my previous years in high school!</p>
<p>5) work hard. try not to procrastinate (even though you will haha). don’t skip class.</p>
<p>6) oh and do a sport! that’s pretty much how i met my closest friends. :)</p>
<p>EDIT: i agree with the older guy thing. especially if you’re a freshman. but i mean you know yourself. if random hookups don’t bother you, go for it. haha. but if you’re the type to get hurt over something like that then definately steer clear.</p>
<p>Do whatever you want and whatever you feel like doing. That’s what I do/did.</p>
<p>-Get good grades where you know you can. You don’t have to kill yourself for a 4.0, but you’re just going to hate yourself come senior year if you have freshman/sophomore grades that aren’t were they could have been.</p>
<p>-If you aren’t getting good grades in a class, GO TO TUTORING. It’s a small amount of effort with usually a pretty big return. Sometimes, at least for me, I find the biggest problem is that I know the material but I don’t know how the teacher wants us to present it. Tutoring is one on one time to understand your teacher’s preferences.</p>
<p>-Find an active, competitive or service group in your school. I’m on debate; my friends do sports or regular community service with my school’s Habitat group. Things that involve long, miserably hot or cold bus rides are the best–I promise you, those bus rides are the things you’ll remember. Some of my best friends (and boyfriend!) have come from debate simply because of the sometimes hilarious, sometimes incredibly serious conversations we have.</p>
<p>-Join the completely pointless club that everyone’s in for the food. The majority of my friends (heck, the majority of my 2500 kid school) are in Spanish or French Club. They meet once a month to eat delicious food and gossip in English, but they’re so much fun.</p>
<p>-Do fun things on weekdays. I go to Starbucks with my friend every Friday before school, and I try and go to a local fast food restaurant with my boyfriend after debate on Tuesdays. Having long phone calls on designated days (I call my camp friends on Thursday nights, and we talk until all hours of the morning, but the next day is Friday so I can usually run on adrenaline alone) works too. It’s nice to do taboo things during the week, and it can be surprisingly recharging.</p>
<p>-Have a group of friends that will invite you places. Best friends are nice, as are boyfriends/girlfriends, but on the weekend, it’s nice to know that there’s a group of people who will always invite you to the mall, movies, lake, whatever.</p>
<p>-Date! Hookups are fun too, and less commitment, but if you meet someone you’re interested in, go see a movie. For some people, this just doesn’t happen, but if you’re in that position, relationships can be fun. Memories!</p>
<p>wow thanks for all the good tips guys.</p>
<p>It sure has helped me + anyone else :)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Well no, but I know people who have.</p>
<p>Guys really take advantage of you, and its not a pleasant experience at all. They basically use you and then dump you. </p>
<p>So basically, I’m not saying to completely avoid relationships, just be cautious when some attractive senior seems to have an odd interest in some random freshman.</p>
<p>thats good…
there’s this one senior who I’m friends with, from debate tournaments and the play we’re performing (with other people). He bought me lunch… should I be suspicious? he’s seems just plain nice to everyone though.</p>
<p>am I the random freshman? :/</p>
<p>Nah, that’s pretty normal. Don’t be suspicious, it’ll ruin your friendship. He’s probably just a nice guy :] (I think?)</p>
<p>Anyways, enjoy freshman year. It’s SO ridiculous how easy it is compared to the following high school years.</p>
<p>Nah, that’s nothing to worry about. I would only be worried when it turns in to something more suggestive.</p>
<p>okay that’s what I thought.</p>
<p>He is a nice guy too bad he’s leaving after this year for college</p>
<p>Yea…oh also another piece of advice. Don’t be friends with TOO many upperclassmen. Otherwise you’ll be all lonely and miserable in senior year.</p>
<p>Don’t worry about meadow’s extreme anti-male attitude.
She isn’t even a feminist.</p>
<p>If your relationships end, don’t worry about it. Most high school relationships last for maybe 2 months. Don’t do anything you’re uncomfortable doing, just be yourself. If you are yourself, you’ll find yourself enjoying your time in high school. Do not feel compelled to give into pressure. Do the best that you can do and you’ll be fine:)</p>
<p>Come on that wasn’t anti-male.
It’s just the truth.</p>
<p>Ok, after reading the actual first post(haha), I have some suggestions:)</p>
<p>1)I agree with some other posters, don’t stand in the hallway. If your school is anything like my old school, you will save yourself pushing and falling to the ground by walking.
2)Don’t be intimidated by older people.
3)Have respect for others and they will have respect for you.
4)Don’t try to be cool, you will just be subjecting yourself to embarrassment and false portrayal of who you really are.
5)It definitely helps to get involved in a few clubs, you’ll meet new people who share common interests with you.
6)Focus on being independent and doing what you enjoy as opposed to what your friends enjoy. This is something that I just began to follow this year. If you solely do what your friends do, you’re setting limitations for yourself.
7)Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself, but again, know what you are capable of doing.
8)Try not to compare yourself too much to others to the point in which it becomes obsessive.
9)Be independent, have respect for others, be yourself, and do the best that you can do. </p>
<p>With that, enjoy your high school years. Make them meaningful, the years will progress rapidly.</p>