Advice for High School Freshmen
Hello! I finished up my freshmen year and Iām now moving onto being a sophomore. I thought Iād write you some tips based on my experiences since school is already close for some people.Ā
First Day Advice:
First and foremost, relax! The first week is bound to be hectic but after that, everything goes relatively smoothly. Honestly, when I went to go to class on the first day, I ended up walking into three different classrooms before finding the right one. I had no idea where I was going and if I made one slight change in my commuting from class to class, I would be completely lost. But of course everyone else was doing the same thing-panicking and getting lost.Ā
Donāt panic if you donāt know where your classes are going to be! Iām not sure about other schools but at mine, in middle school you would tour the high school three times. Still after those three times, I could barely remember where the stairs were. I promise that after the first day, things can only improve from there. By a week later, I knew where all the important classes and some extra rooms were.Ā
Seniors may be dicks to you. At my school, thisĀ ātreat freshmen horriblyā trend only lasted the first day. After that, as long as you donāt threaten to punch someone in the face, youāll be fine.Ā
Different rules- most of which arenāt even followed. Middle school is by far the strictest when it comes to rules. By high school, most of the rules disappear. For example, you have to have a clear water bottle because you can only have water. You know those clear sparkling flavored waters? Those arenāt allowed. Supposedly, you can only have water in my high school, but 75% of the girls bring in Dukin coffees every day. Nobody really says anything unless you have a strict teacher.Ā
AcademicĀ Advice:
For the love of god, do your homework! It affects your grade a lot if you miss a bunch of assignments and get zeros. At the same time, if you miss only a handful of them for the whole semester, donāt stress cause it wonāt ruin your grade.Ā
Do well on tests and all that jazz. Same as before: donāt bomb multiple tests and quizzes and expect a good grade. But if you get a few tests back that werenāt up to your standard, donāt worry. Also if your teacher allows it, retake it or do corrections.Ā
Balance your studying time. Again, youāll have to try and find a happy medium. Itās good to over study rather than under study, but it can wear on you quickly. Donāt stay up studyingĀ ātill midnight for three nights straight because youāll feel awful in the morning. And make sure you study the correct information because all that time would be wasted if you take the test only to realize that itās on nothing you prepared for.Ā
Self Care:
Sleep is so important. Iāve never been one to follow a strict sleep schedule and I would pay for that on some days. Iād recommend 7-8 hours each night but if you can get 9+ thatās even better. Only get less than 6 hours if absolutely necessary.Ā
Take a day out of your week to fully relax. Do whatever relaxes you. Take a long, hot shower or soak in the bath with candles and a bath bomb. Cook dinner for your family or bake a mug cake. Draw pretty pictures or doodle in your bullet journal. Sleep a little longer than normal or take a quick nap. Have your āme dayā be as important as acing that test.Ā
Have a daily routine to wash your face, whether it be in the morning to wake you up or in the evening to feel refreshed. You donāt even need a face wash, although Iād recommend one. Try and wash your face every day or every other day. Trust me, it feels nice.Ā
Friends, Family & Relationships:
Letās be real, you're probably going to lose a few friends. Drama is sprinkled everywhere in freshmen year. Between grades, relationships, family troubles and a bunch of other short-term problems, losing friends is something thatās likely to happen. Now donāt freak out, it's not like your friends are going to leave you and drop like flies. Who knows, you may not lose any. The first year of high school is also a good chance to see who your friends really are.Ā
But at the same time, youāll make a bunch of friends. Seriously. Iām quite the introvert and havenāt made any new friends in years but I think I made around five friends freshman year.
Donāt be afraid of older kids. For my computer class, I was the only 9th grader. There was only two 10th grader, one 11th grader and the rest of them were 12th graders. Honestly that was one of my favorite classes. I obviously didnāt belong in this group of mostly rowdy senior guys but they were all so nice to me. I later learned that that computer class was stupidly easy and was basically a study period where you got college credit for doing nothing. Ā
Relationships- tread carefully. Iāve been told multiple times not to date in high school but I still disagree. Be cautious of who you date. Seniors are a big no no. See, I liked a senior and he liked me back, but we both knew we shouldnāt date (he was 18, I was 15) and he was leaving for college soon. We didnāt date, but being friends was good enough. Also, judge their personalities. Falling for someone who is a bad person or is manipulating is going to make life so much harder for you.Ā
Random Advice:
Bring a water bottle every day to class
Have an emergency bag with a snack inside :)
Eat a little in between classes if you canĀ
Make your lunch light because you may not have a lot of time to eat
Have a planner!!Ā
Sit in the front or the middle of the classroomĀ
Make sure you always have a few pens/pencils with you
Try and have at least one friend in every class
Explore clubs and other extracurricular activitiesĀ
Participate if you feel comfortable doing soĀ
Learn to get over grudges and beef with others
You may miss your old middle school life, but learn that you have to move onĀ
Remember headphones for when the nice teachers let you use them
^ Bring an extra pair for your friends who donāt have any of their own
If you're gonna screw up, then screw up now while you still have time
And finally, just relax and have fun

















