8 Quick Things You Need to Know Before Starting High School

High school is tough. That’s a given. But how you deal with that challenge is a different story. 

As a freshman, I felt lost. In fact, I felt so out of place that I literally looked like a wandering gypsy on campus. I want to share essential tips for incoming high school freshmen to help you avoid that confusion.

Now, as I’m finishing up my sophomore year, I have gained a lot more insight into high school life. Some of those insights would’ve been helpful before I started high school, but alas, that was not the case.

Even though it was stressful, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the process and had the opportunity to meet many cool people. It’s a drastic change from primary school, that’s for sure.

So, in this article, I will break down 10 things that you should know before starting high school. 

These are tips that I wish I knew before that would’ve helped guide me immensely throughout the process. Let’s dive in!

Do Your Homework and Turn it in On Time

I honestly cannot stress how important this is. Maybe in middle school it wasn’t too big of a deal, but in high school, your GPA is at stake.

As a freshman, I procrastinated a lot. I always said that “I’ll do it later” and never actually did. I would wait until midnight to finish it, but by that point, I would be extremely tired, and eventually just never did it.

In addition, the quality of your work also goes down when you procrastinate. Chances are, you won’t be receiving full credit or understanding the material either.

Missing assignments are also something to watch out for. Procrastination can lead to missing assignments and will lower your grade in that class. And, if this persists, it can cause a dip in your GPA as well.

Furthermore, most teachers (at least the ones I know) only give partial credit for missing assignments. Plus, in general, they are very annoying to complete. 1 missing assignment can turn to 5, then 10, extremely fast. 

Just do your assignments. Even if you look everything up, it’s still better than a missing one.

Start Doing Extracurriculars ASAP

In high school, there are a lot of opportunities. If you want to go to a good college someday, it’s best that you take advantage of this opportunity.

What opportunities am I talking about? Well, try to get involved in school activities. Join clubs, start organizations, volunteer somewhere, play a sport, etc. Try as many things as you can.

Get a feel for the campus. Explore different options and see what you enjoy. Take your freshman year to try AS MANY THINGS AS POSSIBLE. I honestly cannot stress this enough.

If you take your freshman year to explore, it’ll save you a lot of time down the line. Chances are, by the end of your 9th grade year, you’ll have some sort of a goal to work towards. Then, you can spend your 10th, 11th, and 12th grade years working towards it.

When you’re applying to college, AOs want to see that you have a life outside of school too. So, in addition to school activities, try getting involved in some non-school related events too.

This can be interning at a local non-profit organization, or even starting one on your own! On the contrary, some students choose not to be affiliated with any organization and build a personal project.

As a freshman, look into these opportunities. Do some research and come back sophomore year with a clear goal in mind. This will streamline the process and prevents you from wasting your time once your a junior per say.

Take Classes that Align With Your Future Major

So with all the goal setting that you will do in your freshman year, how does this affect your academics?

Start researching what you want to do in the future. I know people tell your young or you still have a long time before college apps. That is completely wrong.

It’s NEVER too early to think about your future. In fact, it’s to your benefit to find a career you like now rather than later.

Initially, coming into my freshman year, I wanted to do something related to design technology. So, I took my school’s EDT (Engineering Design Technology) class. From that experience, I can happily say that I will not be a design tech specialist anytime soon.

Then, I took AP Calc and I absolutely loved it (I had a great teacher!). It was then that I realized I wanted to do STEM in the future. 

As you can see, it’s never too early to explore. Seriously, taking classes that you’re even remotely interested in can help you figure out what the hell you want to do in the future.

Once again, freshman year is all about exploring and opportunity. You won’t have that much pressure on you yet. Don’t let this go to waste, you will regret it.

Don’t Take AP Classes Just Because “It Looks Good on my College App”

Just for reference, here’s the list of all the AP classes currently available.

As a middle schooler, I kept hearing people talking about AP classes. I had no idea what the hell they were talking about. 

Once I came to high school, I realized what it was all about.

It is a literal frenzy trying to grab the most rigorous AP classes known to man. Everybody I know stacks up at least 9-10 of them over the course of high school.

But, after my freshman year, I realized that many kids just took it to boost their GPA or to fluff up their college app. Their intended major or interest wasn’t even related to that AP class.

For instance, if you want to be a psychologist, it makes sense to take all the science-related AP classes like AP Psychology, AP Biology, etc. But, why would you take an arts-based AP class like AP Art History or AP Music Theory?

It doesn’t make any sense to me at all. Why would you waste your time on a class that has no relevance to your major?

AP classes exist to challenge you with college-level courses and provide you with college credit. So, what’s the point of taking an AP class when you aren’t even going to use that college credit, you know what I mean!!!????

Please don’t make this mistake. Focus on yourself. Even if your friends are taking a bunch of AP classes, only take them if they interest you. 

Criteria for Selecting AP Classes

Generally, when trying to find which AP class is right for you, follow this guideline:

1.  If you don’t think you have the skill or motivation to take an AP don’t take it. You’re gonna get burnt out. Period.

2. If you for sure know what you want to do, look at your local/dream schools and see what AP exam credits they will actually take. 

Make sure you are selecting meaningful classes that will benefit you in the future. Don’t just follow the crowd and choose a bunch of AP classes. If you don’t like them, you’ll be in for a long and painful year.

Start Looking Into Colleges

For those people saying it’s way too early, no, it is NEVER to early. Researching colleges is extremely helpful, especially for freshman.

Even if you have a slight idea of what your future major is. Look into it. See what colleges offer your major. Do you like the campus? Is the atmosphere to your liking? Are their any specific programs that interest you?

For example, let’s say Cybersecurity piqued your interest. Then, you would go onto google and search up something like “Colleges near me that offer a cybersecurity major.” Go through the options. Do you care about prestige? Public or Private?

Also, look at the surrounding area. Is it in a big city or a more rural area? What is the campus life like?

These are all questions that you should be asking yourself. It can guide you in the right direction.

You can also use websites like Naviance that automatically pair you with schools that have your major. You can even customize your high school plan to target a specific college!

In general, doing preliminary research like this can be help immensely when trying to select your major. Once again, it’s never too early. Start now so you don’t cram later.

Socialize

This tip varies between people, but generally, you do want to have a social life. However, you need to keep it to a certain extent so that it doesn’t impact your academic or mental performance.

Not having friends is awful. If you don’t have anyone to sit down with or talk to, it can be lonely. Though most teachers will welcome you with open arms, it doesn’t automatically validate your feelings.

The age-old ways of making friends just won’t cut it in this day and age. My suggestion? 

Start with your classmates.

The easiest way to socialize is to do so with students in your class period. When I’m in a class with none of my friends, I try to strike up a conversation with the person sitting next to me.

If I’m sitting at a group table, I’ll try to talk with the whole table. Try to find something relatable. Is there a certain pain point that you share in common? 

Sometimes, just taking that initiative to talk with the students in your class can really make a difference. I’ve bonded with people on the topic of “terrible” teachers, to games like League of Legends. 

And, as a bonus, try to get their number or social media contact. It’s not weird, most people will say yes, and you’ll probably need them in case you’re absent for a day.

Overall, don’t try to be somebody you aren’t. Go and put yourself out there. You’ll never know what’ll happen.

Don’t Get Involved With Drama

In high school, there is always something going on around campus. Whether the popular kid starts dating or some crazy, game-breaking rule is introduced by the admin, it’s all talked about.

However, in a tight, close-knit campus, information spreads really fast. Whatever you say or do could be posted all across social media, adversely affecting how the public sees you. 

Trust me, even something as small as a grudge can come back and bite you later. You don’t want to ruin your 4 years of high school.

Also, don’t try any funny stuff like pranks or violent TikTok trends. It will not end well for you. Like morally, the average high schooler should know what is appropriate as a “joke” and what is considered overboard.

Please, if you’re going to do one, don’t do anything stupid. Just don’t.

Overall, make sure you don’t go around offending anyone or involving yourself in shady school activities. Once again, focus on yourself. These events can’t be prevented, but you can avoid them.

Have Fun!

This is pretty self-explanatory, right? Here’s my thoughts:

With everything going on in high school, it gets difficult to handle the physical and mental load that accrues. 

Nobody should bear that load for 4 years (and if you do, that’s your choice). One of the easiest ways to enjoy high school is to frame it from a different perspective.

While some see it as a one-way ticket to a prestigious college, others take it as a learning opportunity to grow and mature. Take the time to rest. Once again, for the millionth time, focus on yourself.

The word “fun” can have drastically different definitions depending on who you ask, but definitely, enjoy your teenage years. You can even do “dumb” teenager stuff, if that’s what you’re looking for (albeit, legally), and try to make the most of it.

Once you graduate, you become an adult and are fully subject to the harsh reality of life. So take the time to reflect. Savor this moment. You will never know when this feeling will return.

And what do you know, maybe you’ll create memories that will last a lifetime. Give it a shot. Don’t look back. 🙂

Conclusion

Now, those are all the tips I have for you today! High school will go by extremely fast. Trust me. Those 4 years that you’ve spent will most likely be your fondest educational memory in the future.

Just make sure you know what you’re doing. Don’t do any stupid stuff. Have some common sense.

Make the most of your time and once again, enjoy yourself as much as possible. I hope these tips for incoming freshmen help you feel more prepared for the next 4 years!

If you want to read more articles related to this, check out my ultimate productivity guide for high schoolers and my top 3 tips for effective time management!