The transition from middle school to high school is a tough switch, with block scheduling to different lunch schedules to more homework and stress. This is a quick checklist of the most helpful things to do your freshman year. This guide will help freshmen have an easier time adjusting to high school and show them what to expect from classes for the upcoming school year.

Academic:

1. Don’t procrastinate; develop good study habits and time management skills.

2. Stay organized; keep a planner to keep assignments up to date.

3. Do homework the night it is assigned so you won’t have to stay up late to finish everything in one night.

4. Learn instead of memorize and actually study for tests.

5. Take advantage of tutorials and use teacher websites.

6. Pay attention in class and take good notes.

7. Actually read the novels; don’t sparknote books. Teachers purposely ask questions which can’t be learned by sparknoting.

8. Know teachers and their expectations.

9. Do not take grades for granted; getting overconfident can cause people to make silly mistakes on quizzes/tests.

Social:

1. Get sleep; it’s really important to get enough sleep in order to be alert and do well at school.

2. Get to know more people and be nicer to upperclassmen; try to get contact information from a reliable classmate.

3. Get involved in school extracurricular activities; McNeil offers many clubs and getting involved is a great way to figure out your interests.

4. Be yourself; spend less time trying to impress other people and more time getting to know who you are.