I was debating whether or not I should put this up because I have not yet finished high school, but I'm pretty darn close. I'm going into my senior year, so I figured I had enough experience from my past three years to give some advice about starting high school and how to survive! These are things I've learned from my own experiences, and I really hope they're helpful and relatable. They are in no particular order, so let's just get on with it :)
1.) If you really care, put your education first. This means not going out if you have a huge load of homework that's due the next day, or a really important test to study for. Just be smart, and if you don't care about your education, well, you should because it is extremely important in my opinion, and there are so many people who aren't as fortunate and who wish they could go to school.
2.) Join a lot of clubs and/ or sports. You'll be able to make lots of friends with similar interests, which is important because I would imagine high school is horrible with nobody to live through it with, AND if you have a lot of fun stuff to look forward to you'll probably be more motivated to wake up and actually go to school. It is ideal to start during your freshman year, but hey, it's never too late! I didn't start cheerleading until junior year!
3.) Try to stay organized. This will make your life so much easier, trust me. Now some people can remember all their assignments and live with a messy stack of papers, but as for me, I cannot survive without my planner and a clean backpack and locker. There is too much to remember and way too many papers to dig through. Just call me the clean queen.
4.) Be confident being yourself! Everyone says this, but it's true!! You'll be so much happier and you'll attract people who fit right in with your life. Don't be fake, people like real and true personalities. And if people think you're different, then good! I always admire people who stand out from the crowd because they're not afraid to be completely and entirely themselves, and that's one of the most beautiful things in the world.
5.) Try to stay away from drama. I've been lucky enough to have a pretty drama free high school experience so far and I'd like to keep it that way because drama is so unnecessary and stressful, and nobody has time to deal with that while dealing with school and life. Don't start drama, don't get involved, just be chill haha! It helps to distance yourself from people who cause it, and surround yourself with positive, somewhat drama free people.
6.) Try new things! I love this one, I love challenging myself, and it has helped me grow so much as a person. I've been on homecoming court and I got on the cheerleading team, both of which I never would have dreamed of attempting when I was in middle school! I've gained so much confidence and it has really made my high school experience so far really enjoyable. I strongly recommend you try new things and push yourself out of your comfort zone, even if it's hard! You'll often learn that you're actually capable of so much more than you thought!
7.) Don't stress yourself out too much. I constantly have to say this to myself every year. It's so true. Your health is way more important than a little test, so if something's stressing you out to the point where you have to take a week off of school because you have constant stomach aches and head aches (which happened to me sophomore year), ya might want to take a break and reevaluate if it's that big of a deal in the long run. Just try your best. Do some yoga, take a walk/ run, anything to keep your stress levels low.
8.) Make friends with everyone! Nobody likes someone who thinks they're better than everyone else. Talk to everyone! Be nice to everyone! It will make your high school experience so much better. And if there are cliques, it doesn't matter. Break the status quo, just like they did in "High School Musical!" I feel like cliques are just made up in our heads, there's no physical wall that keeps everyone from being friends, so why not just talk to everyone! Widen your friend circle! Obviously, some people will be rude, but just move on. You wouldn't want someone mean in your life.
9.) Go to school events! Go to homecoming, go to football games, go to pep rallies. Honestly, I think they're so much fun! Not everyone likes high school, but I actually love it so much and if I never went to any school events, I'd totally regret it. And if you go and you don't like it, well at least you know, and you won't have to wonder "what if" or say "I wish."
10.) DON'T SLACK! Something that can't always be helped, but is super important if you want to have good grades. Stay on top of your homework. Pay attention in class. Study for your tests. It is school after all. I promise, if you slack and get behind, you will regret it. Personally, I think it is harder to catch up than to stay on top of things. Don't be lazy, or at least try. Set aside specific times to be lazy if you really want to, just make sure it doesn't affect your deadlines!
Alright, so I hope these tips were helpful! I've learned so much more than just these tips, but I just wanted to share the most important ones to prevent a super long post and just give you some general guidelines on how to survive high school. For all the freshman: don't be nervous, high school isn't that scary haha. For the sophomores and juniors: work hard, make smart choices and pick the right classes so you don't suffer your senior year. And for my fellow upcoming seniors: we have one more year so make it count!! Have a fab day AND school year!
XO, Lauren
