tips for incoming high school freshmen

samsstudygram:

• it can be a lot to take in. so first, take a deep breath.
• if you ever find yourself slacking off and procrastinating, remind yourself that this is the big leagues. the grade of this class could literally change your college future. 
• try to get into the habit of studying every night. even if it’s just making a couple note cards of what you learned that day in class, going over something multiple times in the same day will help it stick. trust me.
• high schools typically have a wide range of electives, take a cool and new class while you can! always wanted to learn an instrument? take music! have a passion for art but haven’t done a whole lot with it? take sculpting or pottery or photography! expand your horizons.
• it’s okay to not be a straight-A honors student. sure, it could be amazing to be one, but it’s perfectly fine to be average. 
• study. for. your. standardized. tests. whether it’s the ACT or SAT or your country’s equivalent, you’ll be happy that you studied.
• but know that you can take the ACT and SAT a bunch of times. yes, it’s super important to study, but it doesn’t all come down to that one number. (fun fact: i took the ACT 3 times)
• odds are your high school is going to be bigger than the previous school you were in. expect a lot of people and try to not let it overwhelm you. the world is a big place.
• start thinking about if you’ll want to do AP or IB your last two years of high school. ask around, get to know the teachers, learn about the program, and find out if it’s right for you. 
• things can get… clique-y. don’t feel pressured to be popular. popular people are most likely peaking in high school anyways. 
• yes, you’ll be applying for college in a few years. no, you don’t have to. it’s fine to choose to take a gap year or go to community college or go straight into work or to have no idea what you want to do. just do what works for you. you’ll have time to think about it.
• things can suck in high school. there’s drama and stress and frustration and confusion and sometimes it all just… sucks. but i promise you that this feeling is temporary. it’ll get better. (i’m awkward af but feel free to message me if you ever just need to talk or to vent or need a friend, my messages are always open ☺️)
• don’t feel pressured to have your life sucked up by thinking about your career/college future. it’s good to think about, but focus on the now.
• don’t think that you have to go to parties or get drunk or have sex or do drugs to be cool. not only is this pointless but it’s also dangerous. parties are trouble. (plus high school parties are lame, tbh. i’d much rather be at home watching netflix)
• you won’t see it until around graduation, but you’ll have a lot of personal growth throughout the next couple years. high school is a time for learning and growing as a person. so it’s normal to feel like things are just… weird. because they are. thing’s are changing, but for the better.
• this is just another step in life. it’s new, it’s fun, it’s stressful, it’s crazy, it’s weird, and it’s great. dive in.
• you. got. this.