High school is a really different experience compared to elementary and middle school because it is where everyone grows into their true personality, even though there are a lot of adjustments and challenges along the way. Here are some tips to make high school go a little more smoothly for all of you freshmen.

JOIN A CLUB, ORGANIZATION, OR SPORT
From personal experience, high school is so much more enjoyable when you are a part of something outside of class. You will be surrounded by people who have similar interests as you, which means you will most likely make a lot of really valuable friends. Another good thing about being involved in an activity is that they are a great motivator to do well in your classes because you will be determined to be eligible for the thing that you have devoted so much time and effort to. Plus, they give you something fun to look forward to rather than just going to classes and doing homework all the time. It will give you a sense of teamwork and involvement that you might not necessarily get from regular classes. This is by far the most important thing that I can think of doing in high school because it really can be life changing.

GO TO CLASS
As tempting as it may be to skip class on those days when you’re not really feeling it, just do it. It is really hard to fail a class if you show up everyday and at least make an attempt to pay attention. Even if you tend to procrastinate or blow off homework (which you shouldn’t) you’re much more likely to pass if you at least participate in the class work and pay attention enough to know how to answer the questions on tests and quizzes. I know this one sounds like common sense, but you’d be surprised at how many people don’t take this seriously.

LAUGH IT OFF
Teasing people is an unfortunate reality in just about every school in the history of forever, but the way someone treats you is their karma, and the way you react is yours. You could choose to let it bother you and break down right in front of them, or you could choose to “kill them with kindness,.”as the expression goes.  If you just laugh it off or act like it doesn’t bother you, they are much more likely to feel bad about it and regret it than if you show that it hurt you, because that’s how they want you to react when they say something hurtful or offensive to you. Odds are they won’t bother you again if they see that you are unaffected by their rudeness. But that doesn’t mean you should be mean back, that will almost always make things worse. That is another good reason why you should be a part of some kind of organization, because then there is more likely to be someone around who will have your back if something bad happens to you.

DON’T NEGLECT YOUR FRIENDS FOR A RELATIONSHIP
For some reason, a lot of people think that the most important part of high school is having a boyfriend or girlfriend. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it can turn into a bad thing if other things suffer for the sake of your relationship. Sadly, it is really common for a person to start paying less attention to their friends once they are in a relationship. Then, once the relationship ends, they are left with no one. Always remember the people who have been good friends to you, and make sure you spend as much time with them as you do with your new boyfriend or girlfriend. You should also be careful not to let your relationship interfere with school work or other important things, I promise that most of the time it really isn’t worth it.