Freshman Year of High School: 6 Helpful Tips
High school can seem to be a difficult time! A much bigger campus, so many new people, and all kinds of new classes. When I started my freshman year, I remember being so nervous about getting to class on time and wondering if my teachers were going to be mean or not.
If you’re a freshman, I want you to know that it gets so much easier after a couple of days because you’ll fall into the rhythm of school. You’ll have a chance to make new friends, cultivate old friendships, attend dances, and pursue your interests. And, there are so many new clubs and subjects awaiting for you to enjoy!!
This is also the time for setting goals for your future after high school, whether it might be college, taking a gap year, or even securing a job. If navigated properly, high school will be a total breeze.
Overview of Freshman Year of High School
Freshman year might not seem to be the most important school year, but don’t take it for granted! This is when you begin to understand what classes or future careers you might enjoy and decide which sports or clubs you find interesting and what passions to pursue. It’s definitely the best year of high school when it comes to finding out what subject areas you definitely don’t want to continue studying.
Don’t stress too much about it though! This is the year to have fun and get used to the highs and lows of high school. Here are some tips on how to make this year count!
Tips For Navigating Your Freshman Year
1. Get to know your teachers and counselors early on
It’s important to start building a relationship with your teachers, especially the ones related to a possible future career. For example, getting to know your Physics teacher well may help you in the long run if you’re interested in Engineering. The same can be said for your History/Government class if you’re interested in a future in Political Science.
So many benefits come from just knowing your teachers and counselors. You can ease the process of talking to them without feeling nervous and improve your learning by just getting to know them! Having a good relationship with them can help with future opportunities, and by Junior year, you’ll have a wonderful selection of teachers for writing recommendation letters for college. Many STEM teachers provided me with links and internships related to the field I wanted to enter after high school which helped me build my resume as well.
Being comfortable with your counselor is super important as well! They can help you plan out your high-school career in preparation for your future goals. They are responsible for writing recommendation letters and sending important documents to colleges and they’ll be happier to do it if you know them well.
Make sure to know the process for requesting documents for opportunities. Counselors also know about many educational opportunities for students to pursue but only offer them to students that are prevalent and interested, so make sure that’s you!
2. Take advantage of Advanced Placement (AP) Classes
AP classes are considered college-level classes and do require more time and effort to complete but they can show colleges that you can tackle difficult courses early on! Be careful though! Taking too many APs can be overwhelming and detrimental to your grades and well-being, so make sure to know your limit.
They can also give you credit in some colleges if you score above a 3 on the exam. Each exam is scored on a scale of 1-5, 5 being the highest and 1 being the lowest. Just make sure you prepare in time for the exam in May! I recommend you start looking into taking these during your sophomore year.
3. create a schedule that works for you
A schedule and routine you follow every day are necessary for creating good habits! It can help make you more in control of and intentional about your schoolwork. This includes allotting time for everything that needs to be accomplished when you are home. Here’s a sample schedule I followed my freshman year and now:
3-5 pm: Get home and relax, eat something
5-7 pm: Finish any homework that might be due the next day
7-7:30 pm: Light studying or long-term work
7:30-8 pm: Take a shower
8-9 pm: Eat dinner
9-12 am: Finish any leftover homework, study, and wind down
Don’t forget to schedule short breaks in between, those are really crucial for getting work done. Following a schedule helps you be more organized and conscientious about the work that you’re completing.
Remember to note upcoming homework assignments and tests by marking the date and scheduling short daily study sessions. Coming home after school on Monday and brain-dumping the homework assignments and exams I had coming up, really helped me stay on top of my work.
Some helpful resources could be using a physical planner, the reminders app on a smartphone, or even Notion (a digital planner).
4. Figure out which study methods work for you
This is also a really good time to figure out what studying method works for you! You might have to do your own research but some examples are Pomodoro studying, Active Recall, or even study groups!
Knowing how you study and what helps you improves your metacognition and you’ll definitely gain a better understanding of what you studied. Be sure to space out your study sessions, that way you aren’t cramming the night before the test. This point goes back to creating a working schedule for yourself.
5. prepare to think about college
I know that sounds scary, but I promise that the earlier you start, the easier the process becomes. Understand what you want to complete to build your high school resume, and look into programs or internships related to your degree.
For example, for STEM, many students apply to COSMOS, a summer program that is taught in the Universities of California for a variety of STEM classes. Reach out to your school counselors for programs and dates and make sure to apply well ahead! Sometimes these programs require recommendation letters (which you can get easily because you talked to your teachers in freshman year).
Look into taking the SAT/ACT and understand its pros and cons and whether it’s needed at the school you might be thinking to attend. UPchieve can also help you prepare for the SAT! If you don’t know what you want to do in the future, that’s okay! Look into experimental programs and summer classes at local community colleges, but make sure to stay on top of the deadlines for applying to these classes.
6. SIGN UP FOR CLUBS AND SPORTS
Dedicating your time and effort to clubs and sports demonstrates to colleges that you are passionate about certain topics. So in freshmen year, attend those introductory meetings during lunch and after school about anything that interests you.
The same applies to high school sports! By dedicating that time and effort, you might gain more opportunities from there or decide what you want to pursue in the future.
These extracurricular activities provide opportunities for you to develop important skills such as teamwork, leadership, and time management. You will definitely also meet new people and make new friends.
Final Thoughts on Freshman Year of High School
Hopefully, these tips helped! But don’t forget to really enjoy your first year of high school, this the probably the year you have the freest time. Make new friends, go to those dances, participate in spirit days, and focus on making good habits!
Don’t fret about your new subjects, and if you’re ever struggling, definitely sign up for tutoring sessions with UPchieve!