With a new school year comes a new batch of wide-eyed and shy ninth graders, moving to the sometimes ill-fated first year of high school. As a senior, I’ve been through the majority of obstacles that high school has thrown at me, even though I still feel like a freshman. Here are some tips to hopefully improve your high school experience.
Go to events
One of my biggest regrets in high school was not going to enough events on campus. I’ve never been to a football game before, and I’ve only attended one dance: Winter Formal 2012.
It’s our job to go and support our award-winning teams in whatever they’re doing. Even if you’re not participating in them, it’s important to go to Dance Concert for our Choreo team, go and watch the musical, featuring amazing singers, support sports teams and attend dances, planned and executed by our very own ASB.
Dance Concert my sophomore year was probably one of my most memorable high school experiences, because it’s simply amazing to see the talent of your peers, even if you’re not on the stage with them. In the future, I’d much rather remember high school for the fun dances and showcases than for the exams and essays.
Try out for activities
Whether it’s a new club, sport, class or organization, the best thing you can do this year is to try out for everything you’re interested in. As a freshman, your school workload is probably not as difficult as mine right now. So, you have a lot of free time you can spend doing something that is actually useful, rather than playing League of Legends or perhaps worse, MapleStory, like a bunch of my friends three years ago.
Find something you’re passionate about and stick with it, whether its playing basketball or putting on the entire musical. Know that it’s okay to not make it in—it’s still better than losing an opportunity because of fear.
If it’s due next month, do it today
Procrastination isn’t just something that slackers end up doing; it can happen to anyone. I’ve had my fair share of all-nighters and weekends devoted to doing hundreds of WHAP questions, and it’s safe to say that I did not benefit from those experiences at all. Create deadlines—it’s a skill that can be utilized in almost any situation. When I was a freshman, I juggled tennis games, chapter summaries, math homework and biology labs. My savior was a calendar in my room and a red Sharpie to remind myself of important due dates and to remain sane.