Hi everyone! Welcome or welcome back to The Teen Safe Zone, where it's safe for teens to be themselves! I just finished my first year of high school, also known as freshman year of high school here in the US. Since this blog is dedicated to pre-teens and teenagers, I felt that this would be the right place to discuss some highlights of how my freshman year of virtual high school went, as well as some tips and things I wish I would have done along the way.
Just a quick disclaimer: my experience as a freshman may not be the same as yours. It honestly varies from person to person and whether or not you're doing online school vs. in-person school. Please be respectful of everyone's experiences in the comments, and don't take it personally if your story is different from someone else's. Everyone's story is different, and that's perfectly fine!
Quick Recap:
I honestly would say that I couldn't ask for a better first year of high school! Everything pretty much went smoothly for me, which was a great way to start the new chapter of the next four years. Last summer, I was really worried and stressed about high school because of what everyone said about it. "It's hard." "So time-consuming." "Stressful." etc. This was my first mistake: judging something from everyone else's experiences instead of judging it from my own experience. This is why I told you all in the disclaimer that not everyone's experience in high school is the same.
The first day of high school was a little wacky at first, to be honest. I had unexpected technical issues with my computer, although I thought it was fixed because we did troubleshooting and updates just a week before. We eventually fixed it in 30 minutes, and thankfully, I only missed my first class period, which was English. I already knew my English teacher very well because she was also one of the teachers that I worked with during 8th grade drama club! So, she was already familiar with some of the tech issues that I had during 8th grade, so everything was fine. The rest of the day went smoothly after the tech issues was fixed and I was able to get into all of the rest of my classes with no problem!
Now, the first 3 weeks were the most stressful part of this school year. I still had a little bit of a fear that high school would be stressful, according to everyone else, and the first few weeks seemed to prove it right. I think the hardest part of freshman year is adapting to everything. I definitely had a lot more work to do than the first weeks of middle school grades. However, once you get used to the new schedule and assignments, it does get easier as time goes on!
Tips:
1. Don't wait until the end of the semester to catch up on assignments. Unlike middle school, where your grades reset at the end of a quarter, high school grades only reset at the end of a semester because of the credit system (which I'll explain later on in this post). That's right; you're stuck with your grades until you go into winter break (end of semester 1) and then at the very end of the school year (summer break). Your grades only reset twice in a school year in high school. There are no more "passes" like in middle school. Many students in high school tend to think that because their grades only reset twice a school year, it gives them the right to "wait" until the last minute to catch up on missing assignments. However, this "method" will only make things worse for you! This is how high school becomes stressful! If you work on assignments by the time they're due, then you won't have to worry about rushing to turn in assignments at the last minute. By turning in assignments on time, I was able to have a smooth first year of high school with no hustle! Please work on assignments when they're due.
2. Try not to procrastinate. In all honesty, procrastinating is something we all do from time to time. Is it a good habit? No, but it's somewhere normal. One thing that does not go well together is procrastinating and high school. As mentioned before, don't let assignments pile on top of each other because that'll only make it more stressful on you. One method I used this year whenever I felt like procrastinating was to "schedule your procrastinating." This is something I made up, but it helped me in the long run. Let's say your mindset is just not in the right place to finish an assignment. Take a break for about 30 minutes to do something you love to do to clear your mind (like listen to music, draw, (insert something minor here), etc.), then finish your assignment exactly 30 minutes later, no excuses after that. It's totally OK to take a break when needed; don't overwork yourself! However, just make sure you can manage to take breaks and get the assignments done on time. If you know you have a major problem with procrastinating before you get into high school, that's something you definitely need to work on this summer before entering high school!
3. Don't be afraid to ask questions. That is what teachers are here for! Anytime I had any questions about a lesson, I always contacted my teachers for further explanation. This helped me so much academically this school year; instead of selecting answers, I wasn't 100% understanding. By asking questions, I had a clear explanation and understanding. Don't be afraid to ask questions. If there's something you don't understand, ask for further explanation. This is your education on the line.
4. Take notes. This is something I wish I would have done more of this school year. As always, at the beginning of the school year, we always start productively and taking notes, but somehow down the line, it slowly fades away. I wish I was consistent in some of my note-keeping because the lessons I thought "weren't important" were the main lessons I had to take tests on XD. Take notes, even if you think it's minor! However, take notes that you can understand! I know there's a such thing as "aesthetic Pinterest" note keeping, but if you are more focused on having "cute" notes than effective notes, this tip will not be effective. If you are an organized person and care about how your notes look, than jot down key factors while in class, and then after school you can rewrite your notes in an "aesthetic" way.
Everything You Need To Know About Credits:
Before I started high school, the biggest thing I was worried about were high school credits. Mostly because I didn't have a good understanding of how it worked. Credits can definitely be scary when entering into high school because it's something new. So I wanted to quickly explain how credits work, so you all wouldn't have to be worried about it like I was.
Credits are actually very simple in a way, once you understand them. Credits are pretty much a "point" per class when you pass the semester (C-, 70% or higher). So basically, your goal each semester is to try to get at least a C- or higher in each of your classes to pass and get credits. Simple, right? For me personally, I've never failed a class in all of my school years, so this was a piece of cake for me. If you are a person who struggles with passing classes, then earning credits may be difficult for you. However, it is not impossible.
Some people may have taken courses in middle school, specifically 8th grade, that your school might count as an early high school credit so you can get a head start. For me personally, my school counted the electives I took in 8th grade as early credits, so I already started with 2 credits at the beginning of freshman year.
Credits are important because they determine whether you graduate or not at the end of your four years. Each state varies in the minimum number of credits you must gain in order to graduate, so you should check in with your state guidelines to see how many you need to earn to graduate. For me personally, I am taking an honors diploma pathway, which means that I am required to gain a few more credits than the average high school student in order to graduate with an honors diploma.
High School Q&A:
Lastly, I want to do a quick high school Q&A to wrap up this blog post.
Q: What Foreign Language Did You Take?
A: I took Spanish 1 as my foreign language this year. I originally wanted to do French, but after about 2 classes of French, it was hard for me to understand and I couldn't see myself doing it for the full school year. Therefore, I switched to Spanish (which is easier for me) at the beginning of the school year.
Q: Least Favorite Subject?
A: My least favorite subject this year was biology. Funny story: biology was the subject I looked forward to the most before I started high school, but it became my least favorite XD. However, my biology teacher (and all of my teachers this year) were AMAZING!
Q: Favorite Subject?
A: I'm surprised myself, but my favorite subject changed to World History this year! I got to learn about all of the topics I've been wanting to learn about for the longest time (like WW1 & WW2, etc.). The projects we had to do were so creative and fun!
Q: When Should I Start Thinking About Colleges?
A: I'm no expert, but from my experience, you should at least think about whether or not you want to go to college during your freshman year. Therefore, you have the next 3 years to thoroughly make decisions about where you would like to go to college, college tuition prices, etc. By your sophomore year of high school, you should start looking into colleges.
Q: Is High School Hard?
A: As mentioned before, everyone's experience is different. For me personally, it was a little in-between. It's not like "impossible" hard, but there will be some bumps along the way. Once you get used to it, though, it does become easier. However, everyone is on different levels, and that's normal!
Well, I hope you all enjoyed today's post! If you want to contact me about anything, please visit the "Contact Us" page on this blog where we can privately talk! Comment down below 1. How was your first year of high school? Any tips you would like to share? or 2. What do you look forward to the most in high school? NEW POSTS EVERY SUNDAY! - Lexi
Could you explain more about what an honors diploma is? Also, did you get involved in any after school clubs or groups this year?
If you don't mind, would you mind sharing how many credits you earned this school year and how many left are you required to gain to graduate?
This is so helpful! I am a (was I should say lol) freshman in high school and I wondered what other people's first takes on high school was like. For any upcoming high school students out there, these tips are 100% honest and true (some of which I should've done lol). Very helpful!