Fears for Freshmen

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Frederick Grimm
September 3, 2009
Filed under Student Life

For many freshmen, the entire experience of adapting from middle school to high school is a terrifying prospect. Not only are they thrown in as the underdogs of the school, but they must learn to grow accustomed to the many different and new ways of senior high. For some freshmen, adjusting to their new environment is a simple task; for others, it seems like an impossible accomplishment. However, if you are still struggling to adjust to high school, don’t fear. There are a number of things you should know and steps you should take that will ultimately lead you on the path to success.

Every incoming freshman hears some rumors of the high school that are absurdly false. Grant Smith, a current sophomore, recalls that “as a freshman, I was told that I needed to buy a ticket to the pool on top of the gym and that seniors would stuff me in lockers if I did not get out of their way in the halls.”

Fortunately, Grant soon found out that none of these rumors were true. Though if any person believes there could possibly be a pool built in on top of our gym, I don’t think an article of any size could help them. As a rule of thumb, don’t believe everything you hear. Ask your teachers about something if you are unsure if it is true or not. Si­­­­mply put, if it doesn’t sound true, it isn’t.

It is also advisable for freshmen to make friends during their first semester. Generally, the friends you make during this time period will be some of your closest friends throughout high school. These will be the friends that you share your ups and downs with. Even though there is an overwhelming amount of new people you will encounter, you should still do your best to meet as many as you can.

One way to meet new people outside of the classroom is by joining one or multiple extracurricular activities or sports. This will allow you to meet people who are not in your classes and who are not your same grade. The more you get involved, the more potential you have for making friends. For some people, like junior Bear Shuford, freshman year is long and difficult because “I wasn’t very involved and didn’t go out of my way to meet new people, but things got much better after I got involved by joining things like the tennis team, the Future Business Leaders of America, and Beta Club.”

There are a wide variety of clubs at NAHS that freshmen can get involved in. It is recommended that you find the club sponsors or officers of the organization and ask what the club is about so you can determine if you should join.

While it is important to pursue a social life in your freshman year, it is important to be mindful of academics as well. Many freshmen do not realize the significant impact of their freshman-year grades. These grades will probably be the building stones of your GPA. It is crucial to keep your GPA as high as possible if you are looking to obtain a college or technical degree. Also, several colleges look at your freshman year grades to determine how you have adjusted to high school. It is a good sign if your grades steadily improve over your high school career, but sinking grades may indicate that you have slacked off and are not working seriously. To keep your grades up, make sure you designate a certain amount of time each day to school work. Austin Long, a senior who has been academically successful in his high school career, recommends that “everyone should do their homework. Doing and understanding your homework will help you to get good grades on tests. Also, don’t put things off. Procrastination will result in you being overloaded by schoolwork.” By putting academics first, you will definitely be on your way to a successful.

Just remember, being a freshman isn’t the worst thing in the world. And hey, it only happens once! To make your freshman year go as smoothly as possible, you must be able to successfully juggle your school life and your social life. Make sure that you make friends by being sociable and by joining extracurricular activities and sports, and keep your grades up by studying hard and paying attention.