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I’m about to be a senior, and I can’t believe those last three years went by so fast!!  High school has its moments that make you want to bash your head against the wall, but most of it is really fun if you approach it in the right way.

For the first month or so, I mainly hung out with friends from middle school, but then I started to branch out and meet new people once I was comfortable with classes and the whole high school experience.  Making friends with strangers I sit next to in class is easiest for me because it’s just so easy to start a conversation!  I mean, you see them every day, so there’s really no excuse not to talk to them, and all it takes is a “Hey, did you get this chapter?” or “What did you think about this?” to get a conversation started.

I go to a HUGE school (over 4000 students and two huge buildings, one with three floors!), so I got lost a lot at first, but definitely have a map, and walk your route to all your classes on orientation day before school starts, so you kinda know.  Also don’t be afraid to ask someone older-looking if they know the way.  Just smile and be polite, and they’re usually glad to point you in the right direction.  Oh, and get to know how the rooms are numbered.  My school is weird… Like half of the third floor of C building is 6.something, and the other two and a half floors are 7.something, and then the rest of the school is 3./4./8.something.  It’s like they skipped 1, 2, and 5 for no reason.  Get to know the numbers, and you can probably start to find stuff on your own.

Ditch the labels when you’re making your new friends.  Don’t fall into those stupid cliques.  Don’t not make friends with someone because you don’t like that they’re “punk” or “goth” or “prep” or some other silliness.  The best high school experience comes from having friends of all kinds.  Transcend labels for yourself too.  Like if you want to dress preppy one day and then goth the next, DO IT!!  People will admire your individuality, and if they say anything negative, it’s probably because they’re jealous of the fact that you’re courageous enough to break the mold.

Don’t wuss out of taking hard classes like Advanced Placement.  You’ll be sorry later.  AP classes really aren’t that hard as long as you pay attention and do the work, and I’ve found that AP teachers make their class a more college-like environment (even in freshman year) where there are more discussions and everyone is more free to speak their mind.  It’s really fun, and definitely more fun than the class where the teacher drones on and on and then assigns busy work.  Plus, your school might offer an incentive grade-wise when you take AP classes.  For example, mine adds ten points to your final grade, which is pretty sweet!  My grade transcript has TEN grades over 100% (I got an A in five out of the six AP classes I’ve ever taken without the ten for both semesters), and thanks to them, I have a 3.7 GPA and am ninth in my class of over 500 even though I barely passes algebra II in sophomore year and got a two Ds!  And did I mention that colleges love AP classes?  They have this criteria called the rigour of classes, which means that the harder they judge a class to be, and the more they’ll cut you a little slack on your grade.  My counselor told me that some schools like a C in an AP class better than an A in a basic college prep course!

Anywho, approach high school with an open mind, plan your classes well, and don’t be stupid and get in trouble over trifles like “She’s trying to steal my boyfriend” or “He talked about me behind my back.”  You get out of high school what you put into it, and if you make an effort in making friends, doing well in your classes, and planning effectively for your future, it will be a rewarding experience full of treasured memories!

For more information, check out some of my other articles having to do with surviving high school:

• http://www.quazen.com/Kids-and-Teens/School-Time/Welcome-to-the-Jungle-Tips-for-Surviving-High-School.294127
• http://www.quazen.com/Kids-and-Teens/School-Time/Five-Surprisingly-Simple-Tips-to-Help-You-Conquer-Math.153419
• http://www.quazen.com/Kids-and-Teens/School-Time/Five-Tips-for-Acing-Exams.124849