Dear freshmen,

High school’s pretty scary. The transition from middle school to high school is a big step, and movies and TV shows have probably set you up with several expectations on what high school is like. More of it is true then you would expect, but a lot of it doesn’t come straight out of Mean Girls or Euphoria, so no pressure.  I’m graduating this year, so here are some things I wish a senior would have told me before I went through the high school ringer for four years: 

• Upperclassmen will be annoyed at you. That’s not particularly your fault, you may just have some growing left to do. (Plus! Be prepared to feel the same way as an upperclassman yourself.) 
• Since it’s your first year being high schoolers, teachers are going to go easy on you. Prepare to step it up a notch next year. 
• As you get older, your teachers are going to seem more and more like real people. They have been this whole time. So be nice to them.
• Keep up to date with your work,  but don’t bite off more than you can chew. AP classes and extracurriculars might look good on a college application,  they aren’t worth more than your mental health.
• Time management. Time management. Time management.
• Walk on the right side of the hallway. Don’t stall near staircases. I beg you. This makes it easier for all of us.
• It’s good to start out with a career/academic plan, but if you’re not entirely sure, don’t sweat it. You have plenty of time to figure it out.
• Popularity means nothing. Be kind to people. 

In the end, this is a time for you to make mistakes and grow. As long as you’re genuine, everything will turn out fine. You’ll be ok. 

From,

A senior