Tips & Tricks For Incoming Freshmen

Your high school years are what you make them. They can honestly be the best or worst years of your life. There are obstacles and challenges that you will have to face, but I am here to help. So here are tips and tricks for incoming freshmen.

“Friends/Best Friends”

People in high school can be very shady (especially girls), so make sure to follow these tips:

• Make your friend group consist of people who you can trust. Preferably a small group because there is just something about big friend groups that just don’t last.

• If you hang around people that talk about others, don’t think they won’t talk about you. These are the kinds of people that smile in you’re face and stab you in the back. If you happen to hang around those people, gradually start to get away from them

• Don’t give into peer pressure. Sometimes, when you are the “nerd” of the group and have things going for you, if you have shady friends, they will try to get you in trouble out of jealousy. There are just jealous people out there that don’t want you to succeed

• Having the most friends isn’t important. Some people think that having the most friends is important because they think that it’s cool. In actuality, you only need maybe three, even one is fine. Having friends that you trust in is more important than having friends that you don’t trust. Quality over quantity

Classes/Classrooms

• If you can handle it, make sure to take as many honors/AP classes that you can. Honors and AP classes boost your GPA higher than regular classes.

• When taking notes, make sure to abbreviate as many things as you can so that it won’t take you long to get down and you can keep up with your teacher.

• When you have the chance to pick your groups, make sure to work with people that will actually be willing to put in the work. I know that you always want to work with your friends, but if they aren’t willing to work, it could affect your grade and you might end up doing most of the work by yourself.

• Make sure to use your time wisely. If you have a class that gives you homework after classwork, try to stay focused and get the classwork done so that you can do the homework and get it out of the way.

• If you’re teacher doesn’t allow students to use phones in their classroom, charge your phone so that you won’t be distracted.

• Do any and all extra credit to boost you’re grade. Even if your grade is high, still do it.

Teachers/Substitutes

• Always keep good relationships with your teachers because you never know when you are going to need them.

• Teachers are overworked and underappreciated, so be nice and respectful to them in order to make their job easier.

• If you are constantly rude and disrespectful to a teacher don’t expect for them to help you when you need them. Don’t just be nice to them just because you need something.

• This is obvious, but don’t interrupt the teacher while they are talking because not only is it disrespectful to the teacher teaching, but it is also disrespectful to the students who want to learn

• Having a substitute doesn’t give you and the class to act like animals just because your teacher isn’t there. Behave like your teacher is there and show a positive representation of yourselves as a whole class

Study Habits/Assignments

• Procrastination is real. Try to not wait until the last minute because rushing on an assignment is the most stressful thing is the world. Attempt to turn in the assignment at least one to two days before.

• If you have a test or quiz and didn’t study at all, make sure to study the night before and right before the test starts so that it will be fresh in your brain.

• Quizlet is amazing for tests or quizzes because it has flashcards and matching that will make it easier it easier for you memorize your material. Since it is an app, it is easier to access and you can study anywhere. Studying off of paper didn’t really work for me because I was just reading and not remembering.

• Attempt to do the bonuses because they will make up for questions that you know that you got wrong. It doesn’t hurt to try it out.

These tips can help you overcome some obstacles in high school, so I hope you decide to try these out.