Freshman, you’re beginning the journey that will be the best 4 years of your life! While it can be stressful and scary, these 10 tips can help you put some of your worries at ease and set you up for 4 years of success. As a current sophomore, I found these tips to be extremely helpful, some of which I learned and tweaked as the year went on.
- Ask the questions
Don’t struggle in silence; not asking the questions is what is not cool. No one will ever think you’re weird for asking the question. Ask right away, don’t wait until that last minute before a test to ask the questions. It CAN save your grade.
- Get involved
Join a club, sport, or academic team that will give you a place to grow and allow you to make new connections. Also, it’s just fun! It will open doors and opportunities that you didn’t know existed before. Meaningful extracurriculars also look great on a college application and will make you stand out.
- Think ahead
Your high school plan doesn’t need to be set in stone, but you should have a rough generalization of the direction you want your high school years to go. This includes knowing what is required for the diploma you want, knowing whether you want to take a vocational course, knowing which vocational course to take, and knowing what classes will set you up for success after high school.
- Actually attend class
Don’t skip just because you didn’t feel like going; it’s going to put you more behind and burn you out faster. That also goes for getting to class on time. Don’t skip because you’re going to get caught, and walking into class 5 minutes late is never a good look.
- Find friends to lift you up, not tear you down
It’s easy to just want to follow the crowd, but that sometimes leads to making choices that go against you. You need to think about yourself first, know what you stand for, and know your limits. Look for people who have similar interests and beliefs as you.
- Study even when you think you know the material
Many people don’t study at all, especially freshman year, but now is the time to find study habits that work for you. Studying can truly change the outcome of a test you maybe weren’t so confident about or make your score even higher on a test you were confident in.
- Don’t push off assignments
Everyone has had that one project or essay that they didn’t want to do, but waiting until the last minute won’t help anyone. Plan your assignments out by due date, working on the closest due dates first, then working your way down the line. If struggling with an assignment, ask for guidance from a friend or teachers, and try brainstorming, such as making a list of potential ideas, a pros and cons list, a web organizer, and more.
- Not paying attention in class will hurt you in the long run
Everyone has those days that you just really don’t want to do something, but choosing the easy route is going to push you farther behind and cause much unneeded stress in your life. Even if you don’t have the energy to take good notes, write something down at least. Whatever you do, don’t just not do anything, don’t take that nap, and don’t be on your phone.
- Always be nice
While sometimes it may be hard to continue to smile at that person you really don’t want to be nice to, it can benefit you. It will make you feel better about yourself and being nice will eliminate some drama that nobody wants in their life. Who knows? You may even meet a new friend!
- Be organized
If you take one thing away from reading this it would be to get organized. Find a paper planner or digital system that works for you. Losing track of assignments can be easy but a planner will help you keep track of that and so much more, such as club meetings, practices, hangouts, and games.