The transition from Middle School to High School

For many, the transition from middle school to high school may seem daunting. How much work will I have? Will I have time to do the things I love? What do I do to prepare? However, you should always have a positive attitude and try your best no matter what.

As a rising freshman, there are some things which you should be prepared for. One important thing is what classes you choose to take. When you are a freshman, choosing classes is stressful as many people want to take as many challenging classes as they can. However, you should take into consideration what you personally want for yourself. If you feel Advanced Placement classes are not the right fit for you, you shouldn't feel pressured to take them! The classes you take don’t define you as a person or how smart you are. It’s important to your mental health that you don’t overwhelm yourself with all the classes that may be too difficult or you have no interest in. As for electives, these should be your passions, a class you would actually look forward to, whether that be band or orchestra, digital art or sports.

Another thing to bear in mind as a freshman is that you may feel like a little fish in a big pond. They might seem intimidating but upperclassmen are usually supportive and they understand your experience. They were freshies once!. If you have any questions, you should not be afraid to go to the upperclassmen when necessary. After all, teachers can’t always answer all your questions.

If you are having trouble making friends, just remember that most freshmen are in the same boat. The friends you make in your freshman year could be your friends throughout high school! Make good choices and surround yourself with supportive and kind people.

The workload from classes sometimes gets heavy. Many extracurriculars like band and sports require extra practices or perhaps your theater club is getting closer to a performance. No matter what, you should try to manage your work and extracurricular to avoid stress or burnout. Keeping a planner and using your time wisely is important in such situations.

We have all fallen victim to procrastination at some point, let’s face it. It’s a problem almost every student faces whether they like it or not. If you ever have an excessive amount of work, putting it off for the last day is definitely something you want to avoid. This will cause you to feel overwhelmed and stressed out. Instead, assign different tasks for different days to even out your workload. Doing small tasks throughout the week will make your workload much more manageable. This is especially useful if you want to enjoy your weekends!

High school is different from middle school in quite a few ways. It’s possible that drama might pick up, your workload gets heavier and preparing for the future becomes much more intense. Your school might become bigger and you won’t be getting as much individualized attention that you're used to from teachers. You may know people from your middle school but you will also meet people from different schools. This is great since there is more possibility to make friends! It is also possible that you could get lost! This is totally normal and, in fact, sometimes as a sophomore, I get lost, too! Using a map is perfectly fine and you shouldn’t feel embarrassed. Freshman can expect pep rallies, these are basically cheerful events which are organized on certain days. For example, the week of a homecoming dance might have a rally. These are definitely events to which you should try to attend with friends. This is also an opportunity to make some new friends!

Since COVID-19 hit, there may be differences as many students have to go attend virtual classes. However, you should still try to make new friends through possible class meetings and you should work your hardest at all times. You only get out what you put into high school

It may seem scary and difficult as first, but the transition from middle school to high school is altogether an amazing experience. Don’t waste a single precious moment!

Name: Sriya Gundlapally

Editor: Nathalia Ramkissoon

Graphic Designer: Lisa Li-Liang