:: romanticize school. trust me, it'll make studying a lot more fun and enjoyable :: go to coffee shops or libraries and study! working in a different environment helps you be more productive :: don't focus on dating. a common misconception about high school is that it's all about dating and getting a boyfriend or girlfriend or having your first k ! s s or whatnot. no its not. it's okay to have crushes, but you're still young. you have a whole life ahead of you to date people. besides, you have better priorities in high school. and high school boys are not worth your time trust me i've been there before :: have a binder for half of your classes and a folder for another half of your classes. use the folder for classes that don't give out too many handouts and the binder for classes that give packets of paper :: have a group of friends. a small group. maybe have even just one person. but that person or that group are people you genuinely feel happy and close to. it's not easy to find that kind of friendship, i'm still looking for it myself, but at least have a friend you can trust, who will be there for you, who will do things with you :: do a sport trust me on this one. even if you're not athletic i highly recommend doing a sport. or maybe join marching band or color guard. but do something. i joined basketball and i have this community, this sisterhood that makes me feel welcome. joining a sport helps you gain a lot of friendships and memories, and it also keeps you fit :: participate in school activities! this is my biggest regret from freshman year, and i'm glad i learned this lesson as early as i did. go to homecoming! go to winter formal! go to prom! go watch the school plays! cheer loudly at the rallies! spontaneously run for homecoming court or asb! go watch the basketball games and the water polo games! go to the first row of the student section at the football games and scream at the top of your lungs! volunteer to participate in rallies or for acting gigs! deck out in school spirit! even if you're not the type of person to do things like this, trust me, it's actually a lot of fun and you'll make great memories. i don't want you to look back at your high school years and regret not enjoying it for what its worth :: have a good balance between school life and your personal life. make sure you're studying hard, but you're also having fun outside of school. go out with your friends! go bowling with them, or go watch a movie with them, or go get dinner with them! or go shopping with them! you can't just meet up at school. you wanna enjoy high school? then take advantage of that independence SAFELY and with your PARENTS CONSENT and by following their rules ahem !! but go out with your friends and have fun! be a teenager! enjoy your life because you'll never be able to ever again :: trust me, your best high school memories are not spent sitting in your room studying. don't be the kind of person who spends their summer preparing for their classes next year. be the kind of person who lives your life :: try new things! the cool thing about high school are the variety of electives, so you can try different things or discover a new interest or passion. take advantage of the diverse electives :: join lots of clubs! i'm board member currently for two clubs and i've joined a whole bunch of other clubs too. clubs allow you to meet with people with the same interests, make new friends, try new things, expand on your interests, etc :: plan ahead. no, i don't mean study for your classes the summer before. i mean have a plan once you're a freshman or sophomore what classes you'll take your future years. that way you can make sure you're not missing anything and get all the credits you need, and you have room to figure out what electives would be best what year so that you're not stressing out about what to take when the time comes :: i know a lot of high school kids don't know what career they want to pursue just yet, but whenever you do figure it out, start looking for reasonable colleges immediately. that ways you can prepare and get the necessary credits required and do extracurriculars that will help you get there. if you're a freshman and you walk into high school knowing exactly what you want to do (like me) then great! start looking for colleges immediately and learn what will give you that extra edge to make it in. plan your credits wisely :: try to get some leadership things in. whether its asb or becoming a board member for a club, it helps you gain leadership skills and colleges get impressed :: volunteering. it makes you stand out on colleges. do it. but spread it out over the four years. and do it with a friend so its more fun :: don't be a perfectionist. high school is too busy to be one. don't try and make every assignment tip top perfect, just make sure you're doing enough to maintain a good grade in the class
