12 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting High School
I know what you're thinking. Emma, why are you giving us advice about high school when you aren't in any clubs, aren't a studco member, and got checked out a total of 52 times last year. Haha, I'm asking the same question.
Just kidding. I wanted to write this post, for exactly those reasons. I was the SCARED OUT OF MY MIND sophomore going into high school. I didn't play sports, I didn't have a set group of friends, I wasn't a member of any club. I was scared out of my mind, and whenever I asked for advice, people would just say things like: "It's not that scary, you'll figure it out". SIKE. It is scary at first. And you eventually will figure things out, but I'm going to try and give you a head start.
1. Always talk to the person next to you. This has got to be one of my most favorite tips. My brother and his girlfriend told me this tip right before I started high school, and I was just like, yeah whatever, but it totally works! I have found some of the best friends from just saying hi to the person next to me. One of my really good friends now, came up to me in biology sophomore year and gave me a compliment, and now we are such good friends! This is honestly the easiest way to make friends!
2. Friend groups will change, and some friends will leave. As heartbreaking as this can be, it's inevitable. I had the misconception coming into high school that I would go in with friends and leave with the same ones. Boy was I wrong. But really, everything happens for a reason, because I have met some of the best friends in high school! Just keep an open mind with friends, because people take different paths sometimes, but you will eventually find your people.
3. Upperclassmen do not hate underclassmen. I was actually so scared of the juniors and seniors when I first started high school, but you will quickly learn, that they actually just don't pay much attention to the sophomores. As scary as they may seem, they are really not concerned with you, and I never ever had any problems with any upperclassmen. Some of my best friends have been in the grades above me, so don't be afraid of them!
4. Be the teachers pet. Let me explain this one before you count it out haha. One big lesson I've learned in high school is that teachers are human, they can be your friends, and you will get much further in high school if you are kind and respectful to them. For the most part, I had PHENOMENAL teachers my sophomore and junior years. But in all honesty, I just tried to be nice, and teachers are so much more willing to help you out when you are. Being disrespectful to teachers is not cool. And there are definitely perks to being the teachers pet haha.
5. Get your dang license. Oh my goodness, how much easier this makes life! I waited for a while after I turned 16 to get my license and I definitely regret it. Having your license opens up so many more opportunities, and it makes it a lot easier on your parents/whoever usually has to drive you around.
6. Finals and Midterms are a thing. Maybe I was just naïve and oblivious, but nobody really told me that finals and midterms were a thing in high school, and they make up a ton of your grade. In middle school, we never really had finals or anything like that, so it was such a shock to me when I had a final in every class and they took up an entire week of school. Just a heads up haha.
7. Don't get too caught up with boys or girls. It's a classic scene. Your teacher starts calling out the seating chart, and you end up sitting by the cutest older boy you've ever seen, and he says all the right things, and you guys are all flirty. Lol I know, because this happened my sophomore year, and I fell head over heels. The best advice I can give you is just to be friends with the cute boys/girls. Don't try too hard to make relationships happen, and know that boys/girls will break your hearts multiple times. Flirting can be fun, and cute boys can give you those crazy butterfly's in your stomach, but at the end of the day, you are worth more than a snapchat from that dumb boy.
8. Grades are important, but don't push yourself to breakdowns. I had a 4.0 until my 3rd quarter of Junior year. And when I got a B in my Concurrent Enrollment 1050 Math class, it crushed me. I was absolutely devastated. And you're probably laughing at me, and thankfully I can laugh now too. As long as you are trying your hardest, then that's awesome! Getting a B is not going to be the end of your life, I promise. But on the other hand, please give your best effort! Colleges are looking at your grades, and your grades will help you get scholarships and help you have the best future possible.
9. If you think you can handle a job, go for it! I decided to get a job at the beginning of the my Junior year, and it was such a great decision! I made some of the best friends through work, and it was nice to know people from work that I could say hi to in the halls or in class. Only start working if you think you can handle school work and a job though. School should always come first!
10. High school can have a lot of drama, but you don't have to be in it. I can honestly say that I've gotten through 2 year of high school and have dealt with like 0 drama. The friends that I've chosen to hang out with are so drama free, and it's so nice! Don't start gossip, don't spread rumors, try to be a nice person, and most likely you will slide through without dealing with drama.
11. High school is serious, but really not. What I mean by this is that High school should be taken serious in the studying and grades aspect, but you have to allow school to be less serious sometimes. I remember Sophomore year I was in this math class with like 8 other kids in it, and I started laughing my crazy laugh, and administration walked by and they peeked in the room and said: "I didn't know we were at SeaWorld!" And that made us laugh even harder. Honestly school is as fun as you make it. Go to dances and football games and musical performances. I remember just dancing with random people at prom and it was so fun and crazy and unlike anything else. School doesn't have to only be about grades.
12. Time Flies. I know you think this is not the case. I WOULD NOT believe people when they told me this when I first started high school. I just believed that it would be the longest 3 years of my life. But to be honest, it has been the shortest time of my life. When your laughing with your friends at lunch, cheering on your team at state, running the mile in PE, cracking jokes with your friends in Ceramics class, pulling pranks on your teachers, running late to class, and walking through those super crowded hallways, time is passing you by so quick. And in the blink of an eye, you are a senior, wondering where all the time went. So please just enjoy your time being in high school. Don't try to grow up so quick. Because it is coming faster than you think.
Just kidding. I wanted to write this post, for exactly those reasons. I was the SCARED OUT OF MY MIND sophomore going into high school. I didn't play sports, I didn't have a set group of friends, I wasn't a member of any club. I was scared out of my mind, and whenever I asked for advice, people would just say things like: "It's not that scary, you'll figure it out". SIKE. It is scary at first. And you eventually will figure things out, but I'm going to try and give you a head start.
1. Always talk to the person next to you. This has got to be one of my most favorite tips. My brother and his girlfriend told me this tip right before I started high school, and I was just like, yeah whatever, but it totally works! I have found some of the best friends from just saying hi to the person next to me. One of my really good friends now, came up to me in biology sophomore year and gave me a compliment, and now we are such good friends! This is honestly the easiest way to make friends!
2. Friend groups will change, and some friends will leave. As heartbreaking as this can be, it's inevitable. I had the misconception coming into high school that I would go in with friends and leave with the same ones. Boy was I wrong. But really, everything happens for a reason, because I have met some of the best friends in high school! Just keep an open mind with friends, because people take different paths sometimes, but you will eventually find your people.
3. Upperclassmen do not hate underclassmen. I was actually so scared of the juniors and seniors when I first started high school, but you will quickly learn, that they actually just don't pay much attention to the sophomores. As scary as they may seem, they are really not concerned with you, and I never ever had any problems with any upperclassmen. Some of my best friends have been in the grades above me, so don't be afraid of them!
4. Be the teachers pet. Let me explain this one before you count it out haha. One big lesson I've learned in high school is that teachers are human, they can be your friends, and you will get much further in high school if you are kind and respectful to them. For the most part, I had PHENOMENAL teachers my sophomore and junior years. But in all honesty, I just tried to be nice, and teachers are so much more willing to help you out when you are. Being disrespectful to teachers is not cool. And there are definitely perks to being the teachers pet haha.
5. Get your dang license. Oh my goodness, how much easier this makes life! I waited for a while after I turned 16 to get my license and I definitely regret it. Having your license opens up so many more opportunities, and it makes it a lot easier on your parents/whoever usually has to drive you around.
6. Finals and Midterms are a thing. Maybe I was just naïve and oblivious, but nobody really told me that finals and midterms were a thing in high school, and they make up a ton of your grade. In middle school, we never really had finals or anything like that, so it was such a shock to me when I had a final in every class and they took up an entire week of school. Just a heads up haha.
7. Don't get too caught up with boys or girls. It's a classic scene. Your teacher starts calling out the seating chart, and you end up sitting by the cutest older boy you've ever seen, and he says all the right things, and you guys are all flirty. Lol I know, because this happened my sophomore year, and I fell head over heels. The best advice I can give you is just to be friends with the cute boys/girls. Don't try too hard to make relationships happen, and know that boys/girls will break your hearts multiple times. Flirting can be fun, and cute boys can give you those crazy butterfly's in your stomach, but at the end of the day, you are worth more than a snapchat from that dumb boy.
8. Grades are important, but don't push yourself to breakdowns. I had a 4.0 until my 3rd quarter of Junior year. And when I got a B in my Concurrent Enrollment 1050 Math class, it crushed me. I was absolutely devastated. And you're probably laughing at me, and thankfully I can laugh now too. As long as you are trying your hardest, then that's awesome! Getting a B is not going to be the end of your life, I promise. But on the other hand, please give your best effort! Colleges are looking at your grades, and your grades will help you get scholarships and help you have the best future possible.
9. If you think you can handle a job, go for it! I decided to get a job at the beginning of the my Junior year, and it was such a great decision! I made some of the best friends through work, and it was nice to know people from work that I could say hi to in the halls or in class. Only start working if you think you can handle school work and a job though. School should always come first!
10. High school can have a lot of drama, but you don't have to be in it. I can honestly say that I've gotten through 2 year of high school and have dealt with like 0 drama. The friends that I've chosen to hang out with are so drama free, and it's so nice! Don't start gossip, don't spread rumors, try to be a nice person, and most likely you will slide through without dealing with drama.
11. High school is serious, but really not. What I mean by this is that High school should be taken serious in the studying and grades aspect, but you have to allow school to be less serious sometimes. I remember Sophomore year I was in this math class with like 8 other kids in it, and I started laughing my crazy laugh, and administration walked by and they peeked in the room and said: "I didn't know we were at SeaWorld!" And that made us laugh even harder. Honestly school is as fun as you make it. Go to dances and football games and musical performances. I remember just dancing with random people at prom and it was so fun and crazy and unlike anything else. School doesn't have to only be about grades.
12. Time Flies. I know you think this is not the case. I WOULD NOT believe people when they told me this when I first started high school. I just believed that it would be the longest 3 years of my life. But to be honest, it has been the shortest time of my life. When your laughing with your friends at lunch, cheering on your team at state, running the mile in PE, cracking jokes with your friends in Ceramics class, pulling pranks on your teachers, running late to class, and walking through those super crowded hallways, time is passing you by so quick. And in the blink of an eye, you are a senior, wondering where all the time went. So please just enjoy your time being in high school. Don't try to grow up so quick. Because it is coming faster than you think.
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Get dressed up for activities and games! I even brought
this big flag half the time haha.
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| Freshman Year LOL |
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| Get your license! Such a good feeling! |
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| One of my fav teachers and fav classes! |
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| Chemistry puns haha. |
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Take classes you'll enjoy! I loved
my Digital Photo class!
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| First day of Junior year! |
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Occasionally you find a friend who sticks with you through it all.
Megyn was definitely one of those friends <3
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I became good friends with Anna this year in ceramics!
She is the most adorable human ever!
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| Last day of Junior Year haha |
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Lunch time = SnapChat time
Love Meg and Eliza
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Most mornings were spent studying alone in my car.
How exciting haha
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I was the one who threw off the curve in Chemistry and everyone hated me for it haha
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Appreciate the early mornings getting ready for school with
your siblings, because they will move out and I promise you will miss them!
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| Go to the dances with your friends! So fun! |
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And time flies, in this picture I was in third grade,
now I'm a Senior, WHAT!? So crazy! Enjoy every moment you can!
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Thank you for writing this, I've been nervous for this upcoming year but I'll use these tips!
ReplyDeleteI love these photos! You're amazing.
ReplyDelete