Joining high school as a young freshman can seem quite intimidating; especially walking through the hallways seeking out each of your classrooms. I specifically remember entering what I thought would be my food science class, only to realize that I was in the complete opposite side of the school. One very important piece of advice is to ask for help. As annoying as you may feel when asking where a classroom is, or where a teacher is located will be less embarrassing than walking into the class late or ending up in the wrong class. Although things eventually become more relaxed, knowing the routine soon in the semester will really aid in starting high school.

Another thing that is vital to high school: always study and complete all of your homework. Even if your work isn’t necessarily the best, completing and turning it in will at least keep you at a passing grade. Studying may seem painful and tedious, but understanding concepts taught in class will extremely help you in your classes; and throughout your lifetime. Use high school as an opportunity to prepare for college, since high school is really the only time that students are able to mess up and learn. Many students dislike going to school and look forward to leaving, but due to this negative outlook, students waste four years of their life without enjoying and using them to their fullest potential. Making sure to enjoy school and use it as a time to learn and explore is a large piece that several people miss and later regret.

Always make sure to stay away from negative people. Students often hang out with really depressed people, which can also affect personal mental health. Forcing yourself to stay connected with someone just because you feel bad often leads to misguidance and pain to yourself. When struggling, rather than trying to fix the problem yourself, seek out actual help, and recommend the same for negative people surrounding you. This action may seem extremely simple, yet several people become scared to take action when a simple call to Safe-To-Tell could save a life. Rather than worrying what the other person will think of you, remember that the safety of your friend is more important than their opinion of you.

One of the final parting pieces of advice I can offer is to always be proud of who you are, even if others try to drag you down. Several prepubescent teens are all struggling simultaneously to have self-confidence, and by bringing others down, they assume that they’re automatically better than others. Falling into this trap will not only damage your own self-image, but it’ll also interfere with personal life and school. Being proud of who you are even when others try to talk bad about you will truly help you focus and ignore all the negativity surrounding you.

High school may seem quite challenging and scary, but by jumping over the hurdles that you encounter, it can become a memorable and exciting experience that is often overlooked. After all, these experiences won’t always last forever.