Coming into high school can be scary for everyone, especially freshmen. It can feel overwhelming having to plan all your high school classes and even to choose an endorsement just in the eighth grade, but the most important thing to remember is that high school is not like the movies. There are plenty of people here to help you through the high school experience.
It is frankly necessary for the freshmen coming into high school to understand that it is normal to have no idea what you are doing. It can also be more beneficial than you know to stand up and walk away from the people holding you back from your goals, because if you walk around doing what everyone else is doing you will feel as if you have carried out nothing as you move forward.
It is fair to say most people who come into high school feel scared to try new things on their own without their friends, as if it is wrong to do something different. Most fail to realize that the world is full of so many judgmental people and for us to let that ruin our day and impact great opportunities truly is not worth it.
Another note more people need to see is that everyone in high school is trying to figure it out just as you are and what you do now people truly are not going to remember any of this in ten years. Even I know I was overwhelmed by having to make all these decisions for my future, even knowing I could change it later, because I felt like everyone was doing the opposite of the things I was. It gave me lots of doubt, but with that, it came at a cost of struggles to realize what opportunities I had just sitting in my pocket and if I would have just realized no one truly cares I would be way more successful now.
Overcoming your fears is not the only thing in high school, though. The best thing you can do coming into high school is to get involved, join a club, compete in UIL, or join a sport. Just find a way to do something out of your comfort zone because high school is so much easier knowing you have people with the same interest as you even if those people are not your friends. I did not get involved in my freshman year and it is the only thing I would say I regretted because since joining a club and doing UIL I opened myself up to lots of opportunities and now I get chances I could have never imagined, and I am so grateful.
Along with that, although there are many opportunities to join honors classes and dual-enrollment, it is not bad to be in regular classes instead of honors. There are many people who choose regular classes, and they are better for it. If you know you cannot handle certain classes, it is fine to step down and take a class you can handle it is better to be in regular classes and passing than honors and failing.
It is also so very crucial to not take on too many things at once, whether that be through classes, or sports, or jobs, or even as far as after-school activities. A lot of people make this mistake and miss the whole point of the high school experience which is that at the end of the day we are still teenagers and there is nothing wrong with responsible fun and taking time to hang out with your friends and make memories.
This is not say that keeping your grades up and meeting your goals is not important, but it is to say that it’s fine to let loose and have a weekend that is full of friends, popcorn, and movies instead of every weekend being full of studying and getting assignments completed with a load of stress on your shoulders. I assure you that the last thing you want is to feel like you are carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders; taking that break can truly be the difference between a good day and a really bad day.
Overall, high school can be a scary place, but it is also a place where you will meet new people, experience all sorts of situations, and grow as a person as you figure out who you want to be. It is a time to learn and break barriers and face obstacles you have never faced before and although it may seem impossible at times there will always be people in the school willing to guide you wherever you are needing direction. The only final piece of advice I can give you is that you should never forget to enjoy life and not everything you do needs to be taken so seriously. In the end, we are all facing the same problems even if we would never admit it.
