adventures of a typical high school student

Good morning everyone!

Today I’m going to be giving any of you incoming freshmen out there a little checklist that will help you prepare for your first day of high school! I know this can be a scary time, but as long as you are prepared you will be fine; I was in your shoes only a year ago, and the time has flown by. These are just a few things that I wish someone told me to do or reminded me to do before my freshman year began. There’s nothing too crazy or demanding and I think it’s pretty general, so it should work for anyone entering high school.

• Attend your orientation – This is the first step to getting properly acquainted with your school. Here you’ll get your school ID, take your picture, get your locker and books, probably your schedule, everything like that. If you can’t make it due to a schedule conflict, make sure to attend the make-up orientation. Take the time to walk around the campus and see where your classes are if you already know your schedule, or just figure out the different buildings and such.
• Set your schedule as your phone lockscreen/background once you get it – It’s an easy way to always have your schedule on hand. If you’re not allowed to have your phone turned on throughout the school day, then put the paper schedule in the front cover area of a clear binder or folder. You’ll have access during the entire day and can reference it whenever you need without having to go through a bunch of stuff.
• Go school supply shopping, but only get the bare necessities – I wrote a post on what supplies you actually need for high school (go check it out if you haven’t already), but sometimes it varies by your teachers. Make sure you have the basics like pens, pencils, and paper, but wait until your teachers give you some form of list of required materials to buy anything else. This can end up saving you a lot of money, and it’s just better to make sure you actually use everything that you buy.
• Pick out your outfit the night before the first day of school, pack your lunch, etc. – I usually do this every night before school in general, but it’s especially important for the first day! You want to have everything set out- your supplies, outfit, lunch in the fridge, etc. You might be nervous in the morning but if you’ve already prepared everything you need, you at least don’t have to worry about forgetting anything.
• Plan out some form of morning meeting spot with your friends – A few things to consider are what time everyone else is coming to school (everyone usually comes way earlier than normal for the first day), if your friends have the same starting time as you (at my school some people take a 0 period), and where is a good spot to meet once you get there. It will make you a lot less nervous walking on campus if you have a particular destination and know that your friends will be waiting there.
• Attend the first rally/big sports game/event/club rush/anything of the school year – These are the events that will give you a feel for the school spirit and everything else going on at your school. It’s good to give your best attempt at getting involved and figuring out which activities you like early on; once you do, you don’t have to go to anything that you don’t enjoy anymore. It’s just good to give everything a shot since you never know what you’ll end up liking.
• Meet your counselor and talk after class/formally introduce yourself to your teachers – First impressions matter, and you’ll want to form strong relationships with these types of people as soon as possible. Obviously ask questions/for help if you need any, but it’s important to just go talk to these important mentors so you’re on their radar as someone who goes above and beyond to stand out.

I hope this checklist helps some of you guys out and gives you some piece of mind before the school year begins. I know lists (especially checklists) always calm me down since they give me a clear idea of what I need to be doing. Try not to worry too much about starting high school; it’s really not that scary once you get there, and there are tons of people in the same situation as you, including all your friends! Let me know if you have any more questions or concerns regarding freshman year or high school in general. I’ll have a few more back to school posts coming- I actually start school in one week, so soon I’ll be making actual school content!

-Brooke