Are there any freshmen going to high school this year?

[ali.di.magix]

a lot of people are saying to study hard, but if I were to tell myself back in high school, I would've said chill out a bit lol. I don't know what it's like in the US, but high school grades literally mean nothing unless you're trying to get into a prestigious university (which they don't even exist here lol) or some competitive course. Even then, and I can't emphasize enough, do not burn yourself out. Please take some time to take care of yourself. If you're finding things stressful, please seek help as soon as you can. High school really isn't worth the time stressing over, there are much much bigger things to come and focus your energy on, like college for example. Don't waste time on people who are detrimental to your health. Stay out of drama if you can (don't worry you can catch up on the goss after high school like I did ). But most importantly, look after yourself!

 

[Maiana]

I am going into my senior year I think being yourself is the best thing you can do in high school. And don't worry about other people think of you (it's hard, but trust me if you get into that mentality early it helps.)
Do work early- get it done and over with. Doing my work early has SAVED me so many times.
But I think the thing you should take away from this is having fun. These 4 years literally fly, it's scary. Go to football games, go to homecoming, join clubs, do sports- even though there was so much negativity sometimes, high school was pretty fun looking back.

 

[Tessie]

a lot of people are saying to study hard, but if I were to tell myself back in high school, I would've said chill out a bit lol. I don't know what it's like in the US, but high school grades literally mean nothing unless you're trying to get into a prestigious university (which they don't even exist here lol) or some competitive course. Even then, and I can't emphasize enough, do not burn yourself out. Please take some time to take care of yourself. If you're finding things stressful, please seek help as soon as you can. High school really isn't worth the time stressing over, there are much much bigger things to come and focus your energy on, like college for example. Don't waste time on people who are detrimental to your health. Stay out of drama if you can (don't worry you can catch up on the goss after high school like I did ). But most importantly, look after yourself!

For those who are planning to attend university in a STEM related field (or to pursue medical school) I STRONGLY disagree with the above quote!

Several Reasons:


High School is really easy, so take that opportunity to do really well. University is without a doubt more difficult, so get the feel for knowing how to effectively study and develop efficient time management for achieving good grades because you'll need that skill for university. I finished university with a doctoral degree which required an immense amount of studying, a skill I had to learn WHILE in university and not in HS, and this initially caused bad grades and an unbelievable amount of stress that lead to depression and migraines. TRUST ME. You DO NOT want to learn how to efficiently study once you're in university because you will not have a good time.

Another reason is university is disgustingly expensive in the US, and doing well in HS is an opportunity for scholarships. I graduated HS ten years ago and my biggest regret is being lazy and not working as hard as I should've. I'm truly kicking myself in the butt for how easy HS truly was and how I didn't try.
Being a Latina woman who attended an urban high school, if I dedicated even a third of the amount of studying and dedication like I did in university, no doubt about it I would've been top in my class and awarded full rides. After university I'm now $125,000 in debt and I've could've drastically reduced that if I did well in HS. Yeah you're 14, yeah you live with your parents and you're financially supported, and yeah you don't know or understand debt yet, but ten years later I'm telling you when you have to start repaying overwhelming loans it sets you back A LOT when it comes to buying a house/car/or really any investment.

And third reason is that doing well in HS opens the opportunity for exciting college life experiences. Because I did so poorly in HS that I never had the true college experience. I lived with my parents and commuted throughout my entire college experience; first attending community college for 2 years then to a nearby university. Because of this, I don't have any close college friends or had any of the experiences of being on my own as a young adult amongst others in the same boat.
My boyfriend did exceptionally well in HS and he went to a beautiful university with nearby beaches and a culture. He made lifelong friends and partied and had an amazing unforgettable time. I never was able to experience that and TBH it sucks and I'm quite envious.

So tl;dr, do well all throughout HS because you can reap the benefits of knowing how to study well once you reach university, you can get scholarships because GPA is CUMULATIVE ALL 4 YEARS, and for an opportunity in a fun college experience.

 

[buniichu]

I'm possibly going into my junior year soon, and so far I have to go to summer school for a month to pass only my ELA Class, because I usually suck in those, but the only thing I'm nervous about is meeting new friends, and well it is pretty much awkward for me to meet new friends, since I'm really shy. ><

 

[Midoriya]

- snip -

Your post actually struck a chord with me and I wanted to take the time to respond and share my thoughts.

First of all, I agree that high school is really easy compared to university. I’m kind of in a similar situation you were in because I didn’t learn how to study efficiently in high school, but I did in university. But the reason I didn’t learn how to study efficiently in high school was because of how easy it was. I ended up graduating salutatorian, or 2nd best GPA from my private high school, out of around 14 or 15 people, but everyone else was also really, really skilled, talented, and intelligent so it was a surprise that I even managed to achieve that. My first year at university was okay, but my second was terrible because I had no idea how to manage time effectively. I ended up having to switch majors twice and basically lost almost a year’s worth of classes because I just didn’t know how to study properly. Thankfully now I know how to, and I’m in the right major and everything, but I wasn’t able to learn this until I was in university because the high school I went to basically didn’t help teach how to study properly. We weren’t given homework that often and it was too easy.

As far as the scholarships go, I did manage to get into an honors society which means I’ll only be around $30,000-$40,000 in debt next year when I graduate university. However, in my case and in lots of other peoples’, I just wanted to say it’s entirely possible to finish at the top or near the top in high school grades-wise and still be overlooked scholarship-wise for people that have even more achievements than you do.

That being said, it’s better to not just do your best academically in high school, but also to become involved in activities, clubs, and some of the other programs people have mentioned in this thread. You can be the top scholar in your area academically and still fall short on scholarships if there’s someone else that has good grades and is also well-rounded as well.

Lastly, on the life experiences point, I actually did well in high school and still haven’t really experienced the true college experience. Sure, I live on campus when it’s time to go back to school, but I still live with my parents when school isn’t in session and I also have no means to drive anywhere when I’m both home and at university. I go to a nearby university as well, so I haven’t really been able to experience being on my own as much as I could have had I went to a university out-of-state or in another country.

On that point, I don’t think doing well in high school automatically means you’re going to be able to go to a culture-rich, beautiful, or prestigious university. The university I go to is actually a place where everyone takes their studies seriously and it isn’t that beautiful or anything. Everyone is basically just focused on graduating and either going to graduate school or getting a good job post-grad.

tl;dr, I agree with most of what you said because I’m in a similar situation. I just wanted to provide my own insight and experiences as well.

Don’t focus on just doing really well in high school academically. You have to open yourself up to new experiences, become well-rounded, and also still take time to not get burned out and relax at times as well. Doing your best in high school is worth it, but not to the point where you don’t care about anything other than grades. Trust me, I learned that the hard way.

 

[ali.di.magix]

@Tessie: funny you say that because I am in a STEM major.

I was more trying to point at not stressing yourself out to much to the point you get so burnt out in high school. I know from experience, I went hardcore in high school. I managed to get top 5 across the STEM classes at my school and was doing pretty well for myself. But by working my butt off in hogh school left me completely burnt out for college. I did okay for the first couple years, scrapping in with some classes but as I've approached my third and fourth year I really don't have that drive I used to have and have now slipped significantly. It's truly exhausting, and I don't think everyone is capable of having that drive for up to 11-15 years (depending on what your major is) without having a massive burnout. I was also trying to say that taking care of your mental health and stress early on, as early as freshman years, is very important. Getting into a good routine of being aware of how you feel and some healthy coping mechanisms early is important, as I've jumped on that bandwagon a good 7 years too late lol.

In my previous post I kinda already made the assumption that they already have good study habits. I definitely agree there is a need to form good study habits in high school, right from day one, otherwise yes you will definitely struggle in high school and college. But definitely taking some time for yourself and to recouperate is important too. It's just about finding the balance of study time vs free time.

I apologize because things are quite different where I am, so I forgot how expensive and necessary it is for scholarships. To me it's always been a bonus, but certainly not a focus. But I'm guessing those are definitely options to consider if youre aiming for college and you need to keep in mind the requirements for said scholarships.

 

[Mr. Cat]

Idk man like I said before I had my 7 year anniversary with my bf and he was 2 grades higher than me. In the long run it doesn't matter. My mom's last dude was EIGHT YEARS older than her. *shrugs* but definitely use discretion when, well, dating ANYONE ! not all upperclassmen are creeps. Some are tho

Yeah, my dad is 15 years older than my mom. I dated a junior who should have been a senior because he failed a grade (he would have been REALLY young for an actual senior, though). He was no where near as much of a creep as the guys that were younger than me who liked me were. Age aside, wouldn't recommend dating a guy who failed a grade though. We dated off and on, even after high school for a little. He ended up being a failure and a distraction, lol.