Top 10 Ways to Survive High School: How to Make it at PVMHS
Upperclassmen have all been in your place. Freshmen year can be intimidating: a new place, a new system of classes, new teachers, and new people. It is a lot to handle but, I would love to give you a few tips to help survive high school for all of you amazing freshmen out there!
Top Ten Tips To Survive Your Freshmen Year:
Get involved in extracurricular activities(ECA) or sports right from the beginning. Finding a place to make new friends with common interests is one of the perks of ECA’s. Whether it is band, soccer, football, Stage One or even DECA, there is something for everyone.
Do not overstress yourself with academics. The key is to build and develop good time management skills so that way any responsibilities, homework, and projects are done without needing to rush.
Find shortcuts to your classes. This is something I will always recommend. It may be difficult at first, but once you find a route that works you will be thankful you did. It is understandable if you get lost here or there because, not only is it your first year at Peabody High, but it is one pretty large school (with the weirdest room numbering system known to man).
Use your locker. I cannot stress this enough! If the weight of your backpack is the
equivalence of a small adult, you need to reevaluate your choices. It is
understandable if your locker is nowhere near your classes. However, I recommend that you speak to your teachers about your situation. For example, if you have geometry with Mr. Porciello in B house on the third floor and your locker is on the second floor, just ask if you can go to your locker before class begins. Even asking the teachers of the classes closest to your locker can be beneficial. Now, not all teachers are okay with this, however it is worth a shot to ask nicely and politely.
Follow the flow of hallway traffic and do not stop in the middle of the hallways. Now this is a tip not only for freshmen, but for the rest of the students at Peabody High.
Please, do not be that kid who decides that they want to cut the crowd and go around the kids going down the hall. Instead, that kid slams into every single student walking in the opposite direction. Please, walk on the right sides of the hallways, not left. Stopping in the halls is one of the biggest pet peeves of students. Do not stop in the middle of the hall. Simply move over to the side and allow others to go on to their next class. This will benefit others as well as yourselves. Your peers will be on time to class and you will prevent angry seniors from ramming their way through you.
Do not be that kid that also unnecessarily mouths off to their teachers. Every class has that kid; no one likes that kid. If you get caught talking, just stop talking do not smart-mouth the teacher by responding with “wait, what? I wasn’t even talking.” Yes, you were, just stop talking. And if you don’t agree with the teacher, then don’t. But do not cause unnecessary problems by voicing your opinion too loud that it becomes an interruption. Teachers are there to teach us the curriculum, not babysit you.
Don’t let drama with your friends run your life. Highschool changes people and
sometimes that change is good and sometimes bad. Do not focus on all of the drama because in three years, that drama and whoever caused it won’t matter. Focus on the good friends you have now. Making a big deal of things will make your life miserable.
Ask for extra help if you need it. You will not benefit from sitting in class cluelessly and quietly. Ask you teachers for help on topics you do not understand. All it takes is a few questions and a little bit of time.
Make friends with upperclassmen who are good influences. ECA’s help so much with this. Having friends who have been in your position not too long ago, can benefit you more than you know. Whether it is for personal advice, information on getting on a tough teacher’s good side,or even
help you if you are lost, whatever it is, it is likely that the juniors and seniors have gone through it as well and would love to help you.
Have fun! It is only your freshmen year: your least stressful year. There will be plenty of time to stress about colleges and all of that stuff during junior and senior year. Enjoy freshmen year while you are there. At my freshmen year assembly, I remember being told that high school is the quickest 4 years of our lives. I disagreed and now can say that I was wrong.
So far, it not only has been the quickest, but the craziest years of my life. So enjoy your first year and have lots of fun. It is not worth making yourself miserable and stressing yourself out. So put a nice, big smile on your face and think about all of the good things that are happening because high school is the last 4 years of free education you will get!