Tomorrow I start high school.

[Kakashi on crack]

Can't really give advice since I'm going into my junior year at one of the most diverse and socially acceptable high schools in the city. Basically just be yourself and have fun. Freshmen will probably be a bit melodramatic still, but otherwise people tend to grow up a bit. There's a difference between growing up and maturing though. Growing up is knowing when you're turning the situation into an assinine one while maturing is knowing to quit it. It's good to be immature at times though

Regarding GPA... Don't worry about it freshmen/sophmore year, just keep your GPA at around a 2.5/3.0 (B/C average) its Junior and Senior year that you'll want to worry about keeping your GPA high cause of college/scholarships.

I'd tell a person coming into high school to just enjoy the experience and not worry about the little things. I admit I hated my first month or so of High School but once you get into the flow, its really great compared to Middle School. (well, unless you're going to a run-down one or one that doesn't let students off-campus)

 

[Julianking93]

Yeah highschool sucked imo... the only people who say it's the best years of their life are the ones who never had to deal with being different...<.<

OT: yeah highschool sucks... dread waking up in the morning and cherish your bus ride there like it's the last moments of your life before you're slowly tortured to death... also take woodshop if they offer it... that shits awesome...<.<

Can't stand it when people say that. It either shows you were lucky enough to be born completely "normal" by societal standards or you have absolutely nothing else that's good in your life which then is just sad.

And yeah, I agree with that. It felt the same for me. Though I didn't take the bus.
I cherished and dreaded that ride to the front door and would only hope I'd wake up sick so I wouldn't have to go. Convinced my parents a few times just to let me stay because it was so horrible for me. And then eventually, I just stopped going.


And that was when I actually started being happy.

 

[blankedboy]

... isn't it the summer holidays at this time of year?

There's more than one country.

 

[Luke5515]

Learn how to play the game.
Get your schedule how you want it, meet the teachers, try and get nice ones. Don't be an asshat and you'll do fine. Your teachers can now be your friends. Most important, have fun, you only do this once.

 

[chuckey]

okay man I finished high school already and I am starting college in about two weeks.

My first year in high school was okay but I was a bit of a chubster at first so I got teased on but nothing too much, I usually kept quiet or turned insults into jokes so people got a few laughs and left me alone. I lost a lot of weight doing sports and working out in the weight room.

Okay enough about me, but what I'm going to tell you relates to the above. Join a sport or club, you will make a lot of friends and have something to look forward to everyday. Use your locker if you can. If you have classes that are close to your locker then take advantage of that. You don't need to stuff all the books in your backpack. Not only will you kill your back you'll take up space in the hallways. In addition to the hallways try to walk at a steady but brisk pace. You are not the only one who needs to get to a class, if there was one thing that most students and teachers hated in my school was that most kids walked too slow and clogged up the hallways. (not to be mean but a lot of that hate was towards the freshman who most of the time walked slow.)

Along with that wall just relax and don't stress over grades. Don't let your sister scare you. Yes, grades are important but If they will cause you serious stress talk about it with your family and try to discuss a schedule on what HW to do first and when.

ALSO DO THE HW!!!!!!!! Seriously, you might think its a waste but unless you really get the material and are consistently scoring high on the tests and quizzes, DO IT. And yes, senioritis is real but remember to fight it unless your senior year consist entirely of study hall and P.E.

So with all that, HAVE FUN, RELAX, AND MAKE THE MOST OF IT.... the real stress comes when your parents force you to get a job and when you have to go to college.

(don't preset your locker, not only is it tedious but one day some bored kid will just start pull up on the locks of the lockers in the hall and you don't want to be the one that he can open.)

Also be careful with your cell phone, try to keep on vibrate and in your pocket but if you can't be smart about when to use it.

 

[Irridium]

It's not that hard as long as you're not lazy. I was lazy and just skated by as a C average student. I could have easily been a straight A student if I would've put some effort into it.

What he said.

In fact, I've been rather pissed at myself for not trying harder in high school. Could have done so much better.

God damn, I hate my past self. He's such an asshole.

 

[Neonbob]

Don't let yourself skate. If you don't learn those goddamn study skills there, prepare to be bent over in college. And if you can find something at school that interests you, go for it. It'll make your time there a bit more tolerable.
Other than that, just don't be a colossal assnugget and things will generally be okay.

 

[theheroofaction]

Okay, I'm only a junior myself, so I've got some recent memories of my freshman year really there are 2 things you should do.
1. pay attention in class and you should be good as far as grades go.
2.Never mention that you're "a freshman" it's practically an insult in a lot of schools.

 

[0p3rati0n]

I'm going into junior year. So far it has not been that hard. I did have times where my grades slipped, but I picked them back up. As long as you pay attention and do not get lazy it won't be very hard. That hardest part that I find in high school, in my personal experience, is to block out every idiot and concentrate on the objective.

 

[RootbeerJello]

Lessons from my freshman year last year.

This is when all the "bad" stuff happens. If you haven't already, now's the time for you to figure out your opinion on sex and drugs and alcohol. Don't get sucked into that shit without knowing what's going on, and make informed decisions. Unless you live in a hellhole, it should go without saying that you don't want to get involved with hard drugs.

Don't get caught with your phone. Not a good time.

Do ALL. YOUR HOMEWORK. It piles up otherwise, and you don't want to deal with that.

Get enough sleep, you'll only need to thank me if you fuck this one up. Just trust me here.

If you play sports, get good at one of them. If you play an instrument, join band and the extra stuff like jazz band. If nothing appeals to you, start your own club, because just sort of drifting through school sucks ass. If you get on a varsity team or join a big school band, congratulations, you now have a way to get in with the upperclassmen.

BECOME FRIENDS WITH YOUR UPPERCLASSMEN. And not just the cool ones, find upperclassmen that seem nice, make sure they actually are, and try to hang out with them. Seriously, they can pass on important study skills, stop you from making typical mistakes, and make the transition to high school a lot easier. Plus they give you a way to still be cool without being forced into the "bad" shit, and if you want to do bad shit, they'll probably hook you up and look out for you at the same time.

Make a good impression on your teachers, but if something's really wrong, report the teacher to guidance. You will probably be treated unfairly by a teacher at least once in high school, and you'll either have to man up, or get guidance to intervene if it's really awful.

You're closer to the real world now. Keep that in mind and try not to crash and burn.

 

[Worgen]

I never understood what "grow up and act mature" meant, does it mean waging war on a country for being next door to one that a few asses came from, does it mean creating a ponzy scheme, or does it mean yelling about not paying taxes

I dont get it

 

[toastmaster2k8]

I start high school at the end of the month, I was told to make this year count....

 

[TheJesus89]

High school is easy. Just be half-yourself/half-cool (I assume you're not, just because you're posting about high school on a video game forum). You get respect from all people. Don't share ALL your hobbies with people, or talk about video games all the time. Don't lose your identity, but don't be afraid to make yourself look better to the people around you.

You can say it all you want, but what other people think IS IMPORTANT. ESPECIALLY in High School.

It's your chance to reinvent yourself. You can be whatever you want. So don't fuck it up. No pressure.


Then again, I go to a Catholic High School, which probably isn't half as big or as bad, stupidity/clique wise (we're a top 50 catholic high school in the nation), so I imagine the experience is different.

 

[pspman45]

High School. This is a very important part of your development as a person, these are the days that you will speak of for the rest of your life. If you screw up here, it is very hard to fix it, here are some tips to make high school an enjoyable part of your life.

Its a super long list

Spoiler

Don't make eye contact in the changing room, that is bad

don't be lazy or you will fall behind, and it is hard to catch up

be polite to your teachers, it pays off

creativity is rewarded (most of the time)

Freshman GF/BF = too much drama, AVOID

It's fine to have friends of the opposite sex, but don't think too much of those friendships

Try not to say/do anything really stupid, then you'll be remembered as "the guy who did _______"

Having Upper-Classmen friends is also a great Idea, sure you're the freshman to them, but it'll avoid bullying from other upper-classmen, try to look for an older brother or sister of a friend (plus you can get rides ;D)

get a few close friends, but be friendly with your classmates

If you are ever in "that" situation, be safe and wear protection, you can screw up the rest of your life if you don't

If you think somebody is an asshole, you are probably right; just avoid them

GET ENOUGH SLEEP, cannot overstress this, Coffee and energy drinks will not do!

The school counselors tell you to let them handle your problems, do NOT LET THEM. you need a good rep to have a good high school, handle your own problems. but be pacifistic, violence is never the answer.

you are going to excel in topics you are interested, so study the ones you hate!

You have a fresh slate in High School, chances are that nobody knows you. you have the opportunity to be a completely different person in the eyes of your peers, so good luck, and remember to have fun, you don't get to be in High School forever!

If you are ever in "that" situation, be safe and wear protection, you can screw up the rest of your life if you don't

 

[Valkyrie_Phoenix]

What I would tell my 14 year old self?
Probably that you should join more clubs (I joined like a Japan group for international week and that's it) also to really pick your subjects carefully. I took history because there was nothing else I thought I wanted to do and it bored me so much I didn't try for the final exams. Finally I would tell myself to not be so damn lazy! I'm actually quite bright but I don't like doing work at all, even for subjects I love...

Other Advice: Probably take a language class (I took Japanese) not only can it be useful, but you get to learn about another culture and become a better, more respectful person for it. Also maybe either a musical instrument or a sports club, something to broaden your horizons

 

[trooper6]

I hated high school. It was a terrible, terrible experience. One that was very traumatizing.

If I could go back to tell my 14 year old self anything...that would be tricky, because having all of that trauma made be a better person in the long run. I think I'd just tell myself: You'll hate the next 4 years, but keep doing your thing, because you'll go on to great things later. Don't change yourself for these people who don't care about you. This may seem like the whole world, but 4 years is nothing, and once it is over you'll be able to associate with people who aren't complete jerks.

There are a bunch more things I could have told myself, but to figure out the things that I did when I did brought me on a journey that brought me here, and I really like the place I'm at now.

So...yeah...what I'd tell my 14 year old self would end up being a lot like an "It gets better" video.

 

[chromewarriorXIII]

I just finished high school but I was only in a "traditional" high school for my first year, so I'll answer as best I can, as well as talk about my other experiences.

Was it hard for you in high school?

It shouldn't have been, but it was. I didn't try hard enough, despite the fact that I could do the work. This resulted in me almost failing all of my classes freshman year. Luckily, I got really good test scores and kicked it into overdrive at the end of the year, and picked up my grades enough to pass.

Did you get along socially/academically?

Socially, I got along with people I was friends with, although those friends were few and far in between. In a school of about 1000 kids, it was hard to get along with anyone. I was seen as pretty weird but I got through okay, I guess. I was a bit overweight, so I caught some slack from that, but other than that, I guess I was fine.

Academically, see my answer the the first question. For the first quarter of the year or so, I was an A and B student, but I lost my drive.

Are you glad about your high school experience?

Definitely. After my freshman year, I got into an alternative school styled on Big Picture Learning [http://www.bigpicture.org/], which was started by a school called the Met in Providence, Rhode Island. This school saved my high school career and helped me to do so many things I wouldn't have been able to otherwise. I wrote a book and got it published, got the chance to explore my interests through internships at an art gallery, a middle school, and with an independent game designer, go to college full-time and get halfway to my associate's degree, and meet some of my closest friends, and develop a stronger bond with the ones I already had. I couldn't have asked for more.

If you could tell the 14 (or however old you were when starting high school) something what would it be?

Stick through freshman year. Once you get through that, you'll be fine.

As for you, if you find out that a tradition school setting isn't working for you, investigate alternatives. There's almost always an opportunity to find something that works for you. For me it was Big Picture. For you, it might be a technical school, or an arts school. Look at your alternatives.

 

[zerobudgetgamer]

. Was it hard for you in high school? Did you get along socially/academically? Are you glad about your high school experience? If you could tell the 14 (or however old you were when starting high school) something what would it be? Don't be a smart ass and say that it would tear the fabric of time. Also, shark week is over, how do you feel about that?

In order: Yes, No/No, Hell No, DON'T SPOUT WISHES OF THE APOCALYPSE TO YOUR CLASSMATES!!, and I couldn't care less.

For the record, I'd say that to anyone. Don't wish the Apocalypse on people. For some reason, that's counted as "Terrorist Threats" and can get you in serious trouble. Like, Expelled + Arrested Trouble.