Senior Advice

Advice from Seniors

Janiya Scott

Some advice I would give to incoming freshmen is to get involved in the school and stay focused. I made the mistake of not joining any clubs or groups until my junior and senior year, and I ended up missing a lot of opportunities. Also, just pass your classes even if you do not like the class or get along with your teacher. If you’re gonna be stuck in there anyway, why not pass? Do not just aim for all regular classes, aim for at least one AP class in your high school years. The AP classes aren’t as hard as you think, either. A wise woman, my classmate Gaby Rojo, once told me “If you’re gonna pass a class, why not pass it and get the college credit?” My last piece of advice is to be comfortable being alone. At one point in your high school life you may not have friends and be involved in a group and if you are not comfortable alone that will hurt you or your grades. You have to stay focused and not let your friends influence your future. Just because they are your friends now does not mean they will be in the future, and if you let that friend get you to fail a class, you will be more mad at yourself than anyone else. I am not trying to scare you from high school, but let’s be real; when people say it’s an experience they are not lying to you.

FRESHMAN CHECKLIST

Here are a few things that freshmen can be doing to make the most of their first year in school.

Fall

Attend a football game. Find some clubs you might want to join. Learn the layout of the school. Go to your first homecoming. Make sure that your grades are solid. Start thinking about next year’s schedule. Go to a basketball game. Attend a school concert. Attend the school musical. Sign up to help at special olympics. Schedule summer school classes to get ahead. Run for class office.

Winter Spring

My biggest piece of advice to incoming freshmen is to stay on top of your work. You will have seven classes, so you will have more work than you did in middle school. It can be overwhelming, but I recommend creating a schedule for yourself. I used one throughout high school, and it helped me manage my time.

If you stay on top of your work, your classes will be easier. High school can be stressful, so it’s important to get your homework done to ease as much of the stress as possible. I would also suggest taking classes like health, personal finance, and gym early. I got all of those credits out of the way early, so I was able to take more classes I enjoyed during my junior and senior years. I would also suggest taking classes that fit your interests, even if your friends don’t want to take those classes. It is easier to do the

work if you like the class. You will also meet new people if you take a few classes with people you don’t Ashton already know. Lastly, I recommend joining at least one sport or club. I was Miller involved in something all four years of high school. I joined clubs that fit my interests so I had something to do besides homework. I made new friends and went on a few field trips. I also got out of class a few times to do something with a club. If you plan to go to college, you should join an activity or two to show you like to be involved in school. There are a lot of options to choose from, so figure out what you like and get involved.