Starting high school is a huge milestone in every teen’s life. Filled with excitement, nerves, and many possibilities. Seniors, do you remember when you were a freshman? How scary do you think the next four years of your life would be? Well, for freshmen it’s an entirely new chapter in their lives.
As a senior who has been through all the ups and downs, there could be in high school, I’ve gathered key advice from fellow AHS seniors for freshmen to help navigate you through this journey. From time management tips to building healthy and lasting friendships, to give you the best chance at a great high school experience and make the most of your time at AHS.
The most common and important advice in terms of friends is “cut off toxic friends! There are so many people you will meet in school and there are bound to be a few toxic immature people!” AHS senior said. Several seniors expressed that cutting off toxic friendships/relationships as soon as you acknowledge them is the best thing to do. You don’t want to be strung along and be unhappy with someone when you can find the right people to surround yourself with. You also don’t want to stay in a toxic environment because of its social aspect. “Do what works for you,” another AHS senior said.
Now in terms of academics, another AHS senior said, “If you’re going to take an AP class, make sure it is something you’re interested in at least a little! If you’re only taking it for the grade bump it’s going to get boring reallll fast.” This is true, many students find themselves, second semester, having the most boring time in their classes and wishing they never took it if they didn’t have any interest in it.
Some seniors also advised on how to handle certain environments like peer pressure, “Honestly just say no. From my experience, just saying no will have people back off. But if they don’t listen, get sassy with it. If someone is peer pressuring you to do something and they won’t take no as an answer, I would tell them to eff off and leave me alone,” AHS senior said. However, for some people, it’s a lot harder to just say no and stand their ground.
Another senior with a different experience gave the advice, “Honestly it comes with time. freshman year, I let people walk all over me, but now I could care less about what people think about me. So honestly it’s a learning experience.”
Learning to stand your ground and figure out what you like and how to handle situations comes with time and experience, but the best thing to do while gaining those experiences is to be aware and know the situation you’re in, and don’t get yourself into anything too deep.
