Freshman year—a year of excitement, new beginnings, and learning; a year of tests, Regents exams, and stress. Since elementary school, I couldn’t wait to attend high school for all the new experiences and opportunities I would have. I based many of my expectations on High School Musical, which, in retrospect, was a poor decision. The truth is, high school is not all (and more than) it seems. In order to help the Class of 2027 adjust to this new environment, I’ve crafted a list of my personal do’s and don’ts for your freshman year. Take all of this with a grain of salt, of course, and listen to your intuition.
Don’t take classes simply because they’re honors or advanced courses.
One of the biggest mistakes I made was taking honors classes just for the label. These advanced courses push students to learn more material, a great advantage for someone passionate about the course. But trust me, if you don’t enjoy a subject, it’s not worth it to put yourself through the hardship of extra work. Instead, put your time into the classes that matter most to you.
If you’re interested in testing out an honors course, try the honors supplements in your R/H classes (English 9, Global I, and Biology). These will give you a good example of what an honors course looks like, and if you would like, continue completing the supplements to receive honors credit at the end of the year.
Take an elective.
I cannot stress enough how important an elective course has been to my freshman year. Through all of the (sometimes) boring, mandatory classes, my fifth period was a great way to de-stress and learn something new. Taking an elective that is meaningful to you will make the school day seem a little less eternal.
Not sure what elective to take? I strongly recommend taking Design and Drawing for Production (DDP). This class is geared toward people interested in technology, engineering, and STEM in general. It’s a great class where you learn a lot of basic skills that can be applied in various ways, such as making spreadsheets, data plotting, measuring, and more. Additionally, I would love to see more girls take DDP next year. Having women in STEM is incredibly important (see “If They Doubt You, Just Show ‘Em Up”: The Importance of Female Teachers in Engineering”, March 2023), and bringing more diversity into the classroom would be immensely beneficial.
Use lunchtime to study.
“But I want a break!” We all do. I wish I could have fit a study hall into my jam-packed schedule, but it’s not always possible. In place of study hall, I’ve spent a lot of my lunch breaks in the library working on assignments. The library may not work for everyone, but I’ve personally found that I’m productive when I spend time in the library studying. When I get home, I have a lighter load of work, which is awesome.
Furthermore, you can also take advantage of all of the resources in the library! Not only are there hundreds of books, but there is ample seating, different “noise zones,” and tons of school supplies like hole punchers, graph paper, and calculators.
Pay attention in your world language course.
Many people fall into the trap of trying to focus on their four “core” classes—math, science, English, and social studies. While these classes are important, it’s also incredibly vital to pay just as much attention to your world language. Learning a foreign language is incredibly valuable, so I suggest you take advantage of this privilege. Extra practice is always good, too—keep up that Duolingo streak!
Attend a football game. Just one.
By no means is our football team bound for the big leagues, but I do think it’s a core experience in high school that people will want to look back on. While I have no interest in American football, I enjoyed the time I spent with friends (and cringing as the home team lost touchdown after touchdown to Horseheads). Games are a chance to make new friends and learn something new about high school culture.
Don’t get worked up about spirit week.
I wouldn’t advise you to worry about your outfits for spirit days. I once wore all black on a “white-out” day, much to the dismay of my peers—it was an accident, but it made me realize that I genuinely didn’t care too much about spirit days. If dressing in spirit makes you happy, go for it, but there’s no reason to force yourself into an outfit you don’t like.
Clean out your papers.
There’s no one I give a harder side-eye to than the person who comes into class with a binder overflowing with last semester’s work. So many studies have shown that the weight of backpacks are disastrous for students, so why not lighten the load? When the end of a unit comes around, I like to take all the papers out of my binder and place them into a folder at home. That way I still have access to them, but I’m not lugging the papers around every day. Make it easier for your future self, too—always try to organize your papers within your backpack first.
Save money for a yearbook.
Yearbooks may be traditionally for seniors, but I highly recommend you get a yearbook even if it’s just to see your tiny school photo on page 23. Yearbooks are a great recap of the year, and chances are you’ll be in a couple of photos too! I’m excited to look back on my high school yearbooks when I’m older, and I think it’s a valuable memento to have. Plus, the IHS Annual team always creates a beautiful yearbook!
Know which bathrooms to use, and when.
I’m still unsure of where I stand on the debate about the new gender-neutral bathrooms, but I think that they’re pretty nice. These bathrooms are great for use during class periods, but I’d avoid them during passing periods because of the sheer amount of people trying to relieve themselves before their next class.
Bathrooms in K-wing are good at any time. I’m surprised that the most isolated wing of the school has the best bathrooms, but I’m always happy to have somewhere in the school that’s mildly sanitary.
The bathrooms in E-wing are a gentle but firm no.
Write for The Tattler!
This is definitely a plug, and I’m not sorry about it. Writing for The Tattler has been a fantastic part of my freshman-year experience. I’m so lucky to have had the opportunity to help curate this amazing newspaper. Yes, it’s a little scary at first, but The Tattler is committed to working with you to make sure that your piece is the best that it can be. Not a fan of writing in your ELA classes? Trust me, there are so many ways to contribute to The Tattler. Whether that’s writing an article, snapping photos for the magazine, or creating puzzles and games for the back page, everyone has a place on the Tattler team.
Stay true to your moral compass.
Okay, this one’s a little cheesy, but I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for you to make good decisions. Your first year of high school may seem unimportant, but I think it can truly set the trajectory for what the rest of your high school career will look like. It can be really easy to get swept up in a new environment with new influences, but don’t let that make you let go of your own beliefs. Listen to your gut about the right decision—essential organs don’t lie.
Class of 2027, I truly hope all of you prosper. Make good decisions, focus on your studies, and invest time into your passions. I hope this article gives you an extra nudge on your way to success this year!
I agree, Zadie your an inspiration to us all
I agree, Zadie you’re an inspiration to us all. I wish we could all be as cool as you. Maybe someday I’ll be as good as you. It’s hard to say. All I know is you’re going to Harvard. Thanks for making me feel small and pushing me forward to overcome the feelings that I’m not worth enough that you push upon me.
I wish we was like you. I’m going to change my ways and embrace my inner Zadie.