A Rising Sophomore's Advice to Incoming Freshman

As my first year at Nutley high school quickly comes to a closing, I’d like to write to all future freshmen, and give my full truth on high school. 

As your first year of high school quickly approaching, you're probably hearing all kinds of stuff about high school right now, whether it's your teachers telling you all about how you're going to need to grow up, or upperclassmen trying to freak you out with stories about the mountains of homework or crazy hard tests. 

I’m here to tell you it’s not all that bad. In fact, dare I say, I think it’s easier than middle school. The idea that high school is easier may sound crazy. If you think about it: in middle school, everything is new and everyone is trying to figure out who they are. There’s so much drama and pressure to fit in. 

But in high school, people have, for the most part, figured themselves out. You’ve got more freedom to choose your classes, join clubs that actually interest you, and find your own group of friends. Plus, the teachers treat you like young adults, which is a nice change.

Having the options for more classes to truly seek out your interests, causes you to want to pay more attention and enjoy the course, rather than take a class that was practically your only option. I took journalism this year, and rather than have to sit in a classroom trying to focus on a class I had no interest in, I was able to engage in writing stories and enjoy the class that I wanted. 

And the teachers? They treat you as though you're almost an adult, which is a major upgrade from being treated like a little kid all the time and having to follow all the strict rules enforced upon students at the middle school.

Now, don't get me wrong, it's not all sunshine and rainbows. There's definitely more work, and you actually have to learn how to manage your time in order to stay on top of all your responsibilities. And trying to get away with procrastinating until the night before a big project definitely doesn’t work anymore. 

But honestly, learning how to balance everything is a good thing. It's like, prepping you for the real world. And it's still a high school so there are some hard classes, and some teachers who are a little scary, but you'll survive. Everyone does. 

My advice to you is just, don't stress too much, get involved in something you actually care about, stay organized (or at least try to), and remember that everyone is just trying to figure things out. So rather than be scared, allow yourself to enjoy your first year, ‘cause it goes by a lot quicker than you would think.