The lights are dimming on senior year at Waltham High School and I can’t help but look forward to what is in store for the future. College is a big step in a person’s life and graduating high school to me has always been something that seemed like a distant plan. Now that I made it to this point, I can’t help but think about all the people and events in my high school career that made it memorable and worth celebrating. While it is important to not look into the past too much, I feel myself reflecting on some things that I would have done differently when it comes to these past four years. The incoming class of freshmen to WHS have a lot ahead of them and a great community to back them up in the transition between middle school and high school. While this time can be stressful and overwhelming, here are some things that I recommend doing in order for your high school experience to be both memorable and beneficial for your future self.
1: Try your best academically
High school in general will be challenging in regards to academic rigor. In most cases, teachers will hold you accountable for things such as assignments and studying for tests. Unlike middle school, high school takes a level up in independence academically. While slacking off seems to be a common thing to do your freshman and sophomore year of high school, this is actually the worst thing that you could do. Your final GPA your senior year is cumulative. This means that it represents your grades throughout high school. While colleges mainly look at your junior and senior year grades, it is important to get into good habits sooner. School only gets harder, and if you don’t learn work ethic when you start high school, it will be hard to catch up. Most of the time as well it does not mean you have to be smart to get good grades. It is all about the effort you put into it. Even right now some of the smartest people I know can struggle with grades in school because they don’t have enough discipline to keep up with assignments. It’s important to try and just get them done. I also recommend that if you do not understand something, then talk with your teachers. They are always there to help you and most likely want you to succeed in their class. Develop the right study habits as well and you will see great results. While I sound a bit tedious, trust me your future senior self would thank you so much for the work you put in freshman year.
2: Get to know your teachers
Sometimes it can be hard, I admit to view your teachers as anything other than a teacher. In reality your teachers you come to realize are very good people with interesting lives of their own. Teachers want to form relationships with their students and they want to get to know you and what your interests are. When you start any new class, I recommend socializing with your teachers just as you would a classmate. When you walk into a classroom say “hi” and when you leave say “thank you”. It is just good manners to let your teacher know that you appreciate them given that at many times their job is not that easy. Also by taking actions like this you will definitely stand out against your peers. By far the most important lesson when it comes to teachers is showing respect. That could mean staying off your phone when they are talking or just doing the assignment that they gave you to work on. These relationships with teachers end up being important because when you are a senior recommendation letters are a big factor to college admissions. If teachers can truthfully write good things about you, it makes you stand out against other applicants and helps you get into the colleges you would like to attend. Recalling the teachers are some of the memories in high school that you remember most, almost like how you never forget the name of your kindergarten teacher and how they made you feel.
3: Try new things
While you are still young it is wise to put yourself out there and try things that you have never done before. I am an avid believer that everybody should have at least one extracurricular in high school that makes them a part of the community. That could be sports, theater, dance, clubs, and so much more. High school is the perfect opportunity to try something new because, for example, in sports you don’t have to be very good to participate and there are many levels of competition. You could have no volleyball or soccer experience and make a JV team that teaches the fundamentals. Not only that, but it is a great way to make friends and socialize with people in all grade levels. I never did track before high school, but once I tried it, I fell in love with it and now it is something I would like to pursue in college as well. High school is very unexpected and it all depends on the attitude put into things that determines whether or not you’re successful. This time in your life is also a good time to start over and finding new passions and hobbies will make high school a lot more enjoyable being surrounded by people with similar interests as you.
4: Be kind and don’t be afraid to talk to new people
I can’t stress enough how important it is to be kind to people in high school with every single chance that you get. Some people go through a lot of things behind closed doors and fight their own secret battles. Mental health is no joke and affects many high schoolers, especially girls. Social pressures can be a lot and making friends sometimes can be challenging. It is important to put egos to the side when you enter high school. It is better to brighten someone’s day than bring them down. This means just saying hi to people that you know. You don’t have to be close friends with them to show kindness. People usually remember the way you treated them and impressions last. I used to never understand why the meanest people always had the most friends. In reality, they have the least amount of real ones. People who are friends with mean people are just scared of them and don’t want to become a victim. The kindest people I know are usually the ones who are not afraid to be themselves and sometimes they are the ones who are not as “popular” or “cool”. However, these are the people that I’m going to remember the most when I leave high school because of the way they made me feel and their positivity being memorable. Talk to everyone when you get to high school and I promise that you will have people on your side wherever you go and people to turn to for anything.
5: Get involved in events at school
The events at school are important to attend and participate in because they end up being the most memorable moments of high school. For example, attending school dances is a great way to make memories and socialize with people of all grade levels. Don’t be afraid to come out of your shell and try new things even if you think you would not like attending a dance. You never know until you try and I recommend just giving it a chance. Same thing can be said for sports games as well as attending football games or big basketball games. For me, the memories in the Waltham High School gym were very memorable and the energy created by the Waltham community in one place cheering on the boys team as they play for the city. It is a good way to get involved with school and at the same time support.
6: Get off your phone
I know I am going to sound like an older person when I say this, but just get off your phone. More than ever now it is becoming a big problem that teenagers are controlled by their phones. It is so much better to be present in high school than stuck to your phone all day. At the end of the day, you just regret all the time wasted when you could have been making friends and socializing with people that you could have gotten to know better. Not only that, but it just makes you feel better mentally. Phones and social media are in general the leading cause of anxiety and depression amongst teens, so removing the problem that phones cause would lead to much better mental health states. Just be yourself and talk to people in the present any chance that you get because phones are just an escape from reality that does more harm than good.
7: Be Confident
My final tip to surviving high school is as simple as just being confident in yourself. When you are confident in yourself the world opens for you and you become unaffected by the opinions of others. Confidence draws people towards you as a person and is very respectable. It is also important to be confident in yourself academically as well and to not doubt everything you are capable of.
I hope that this advice is able to help incoming students in their transition into high school. Like I said, it is scary but everything falls into place eventually and the climb is always worth the reward. Good luck and try to enjoy high school to the fullest cause it goes by quickly when you are having fun.
