Entering high school can be exciting, but it can also be an intimidating time for many. Here is some advice from seniors that they wish someone had told them in their freshman year.  

The first piece of advice that many seniors gave was around the importance of keeping up your GPA. Sydney Brandt states that “GPA does matter in the first year and it’s good to keep your grades up.” Krystyna Kijewski also suggests, “Focus on starting off with a good GPA at the beginning in your Freshman and Sophomore years so that when you apply to colleges it doesn’t harm your chances later. Also use your counselors! The counselors are there to help you if you are struggling with anything.” To get a meeting with your counselor, scan the QR code on your counselor’s door and sign up with a quick description of what you would like to discuss.   

“Make sure you study and get on top of your schoolwork because it’s not good to fall behind. Also, join an extracurricular activity like marching band or a sport” Zach Veal advised. Caitlin Jenkins agreed. Her advice was to “join at least one club” during your time in high school. This is a great way to meet new people and possibly make friends. It also gives you a chance to explore interests, sports or new hobbies. It may sound difficult balancing academics and activities, but Isabella Soporean recommends, “Don’t procrastinate because it ends up making it more stressful. Planners and to-do lists are great.” A common way that students keep track of all of their schoolwork is by writing it all down in the notes app on their phone.  

Another great area of advice from the seniors is to try to keep your stress level down. “People will say that High School is the best four years of your life, but don’t put all that pressure on yourself. What will happen will happen, you don’t need to stress about it being perfect” is great guidance from Isabella Aluia. She goes on to suggest that “people’s opinions of you don’t matter, just be yourself” and also a reminder to “allow yourself to take breaks, especially if you have clubs, jobs, or AP classes.” Sometimes having to juggle all of the things going on in your life can be stressful, but it’s important to keep everything in perspective and allow yourself down time. Alyssa Wend further supports this theme with the recommendation: “Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. You can do so much more than what you think you are capable of, don’t doubt yourself. You also don’t need to know where you want to go and what you want to major in after high school.” You have plenty of time to plan out your future. Freshman year is a time to work on adjusting to high school and getting settled in. “You don’t need your entire life figured out by senior year, sometimes you don’t know what you want to be right away and that’s okay. You can change your mind a million times. My mom is fifty and she is just going back to school to be an art teacher, it’s never too late to do what you want to do” states Melina Warda. Take a deep breath and just take one year at a time. 

Freshman year is also a great opportunity to figure out who you are as a person and who you want to surround yourself with. Ava Messing shares the encouragement, “Don’t care what people think and just do you.” You may keep many of the same friends from middle school or you may grow apart and that’s okay. You will also have the chance to meet a lot of new people coming from different schools. One of the benefits of going to such a large high school as Dakota is you are likely to find a group that fits you. “Don’t try and change yourself for others, keep true to yourself and better friendships will take form” states Elizabeth Hermann. Use your time at the Ninth Grade Center to get to know your classmates and yourself. 

The final topic of advice that seniors gave was about some of their favorite classes at Dakota. “Take classes that you actually think you will enjoy instead of just thinking it will be a blow off class” says Maddie Short. For example, Ryenne Ashworth shared, “I liked American Legal and I learned things in that class that are beneficial to my actual life.” Sometimes the lesser-known classes can surprise you. “I highly recommend Women’s History because it’s a fun class and it’s very interactive. It’s really helpful if you want to learn about things that you don’t learn in your regular history classes” suggests Ellie Snodgrass. “I liked Leadership class because it lets you get involved with the school” offers Connor Rogus. Leadership is also a fun class that gives students the chance to participate in classroom activities and take part in planning school events. “I loved History of Motivation and I really wished I knew about it sooner. It taught me a lot of life lessons and a lot about myself” recommends Elizabeth Hermann. Elective courses are a great way to explore topics that you may not otherwise learn about. 

The Senior Class of 2023 hopes that this advice can help the transition into high school go a little more smoothly for incoming freshmen.