Welcome back everyone!

Today I plan to answer a lot of common questions that I hear or get asked about starting high school. I’m currently a sophomore so I’m not exactly an expert in all things high school, but I think I actually have a good perspective since I’m not a freshman now, but I was only a short time ago. My answers are based off of my own personal experiences from last year so they may not be relatable to everyone, but I think for the most part they are fairly universal/general.

• Are the upperclassmen mean? – I feel like a lot of people are scared about this one because of stereotypical bullies in teen movies, but you probably won’t even see the upperclassmen that much unless you’re ahead in your classes for some reason or are in activities with them. Some of them will be slightly rude/just indifferent, but some will actually be pretty nice! It helps if you have older siblings or older family friends.
• Will I get lost? – It depends on how big your school is; either way, you won’t get lost beyond help. Make sure you have a map of the school and figure out a general idea of where your classes are beforehand, but even if you wander a little bit you will be fine. If you have a small school, I wouldn’t even worry about it. No matter what school you go to, teachers will be understanding if you’re a little late on the first day and people may even be out in the halls to help you find your way.
• Are the teachers meaner/harder/etc. ? – This really depends on what types of classes you are taking and what teachers you actually get. There are some WONDERFUL teachers and some less than desirable teachers at almost every school; you just have to cross your fingers and hope you get the good ones. I found that high school teachers were actually a little bit more chill- even if they gave a lot of work, their personalities were a lot more laid-back in the classroom than middle school teachers.
• Will I be able to handle AP/honors classes and should I take them? – It’s kind of a personal preference; if you want to be challenged and are okay with a heavier workload, I would TOTALLY recommend taking them. It’s great to boost your GPA and it will be helpful for college admission later, but I find that the classes are a lot more interesting and stimulating as well. If you have a lot of activities or school isn’t really your thing, that’s totally fine too- focus on what you like.
• What if I have problems with my schedule or anything of that sort? – Go see your counselor! They are there to help you and make this transition easier whenever you need something. It’s easier than you think to get a schedule change or fix something like that, and your counselor will usually be able to accomodate most of your needs within just a few minutes of explaining your situation. It’s also nice just to get to know them and drop in so there’s another friendly face on campus- they can help you a lot later on with college.
• How do I find out about school events? – I would suggest following your school’s social media accounts if they have any, or just keeping up with their website and activities/athletics calendars (whether those are online or posted at school) if they don’t. Flyers will often be posted around school for various events, and if your school does morning announcements they will be broadcasted there. I would definitely recommend attending rallies and sports games (especially football games!) plus any other interesting or traditional events/shows your school puts on.
• How do I meet new people/make friends with them? – Just make the effort to get out of your comfort zone and talk to them! I would start with the people in your classes since you already have one thing in common- taking the same class. You’ll need a homework help/study buddy eventually, so strike up a conversation with the people who sit near you and exchange numbers. Eventually you’ll probably do some sort of group work/projects and some friendships will stem from there. Also, mutual friends are great to become close with- as your friends meet new people and introduce them to you, be friendly and make an effort to get to know them.
• Do I need a lot of supplies? – You only need the basics, honestly. Teachers will tell you up-front the first week of school if you need anything extra/out-of-the-ordinary or they prefer you to use something specific for their class, so don’t buy a lot before the first day. Get pens, pencils, paper, folders/notebooks, highlighters, etc. I actually wrote a post about high school school supply essentials, so go check it out if you haven’t already!
• How do I get involved? – Join whatever you’re interested in! There’s most likely tons of organizations/clubs/programs/electives on campus, so there will be something for everyone. If you don’t know where to start, ask your friends what they’re joining- don’t make your decisions based on this, but it definitely is comforting to have a friend there as well. Try things out and attend a couple events/practices/meetings before committing though; you never know what you will or won’t like.
• What should I do if I start feeling super stressed and overwhelmed? – It depends what level your feelings are at. If it’s right at the beginning of the year, it might just be the general new school adjustment and it’s best to wait it out a bit. If you’re farther into the year and things are still too crazy, you might want to look at your commitments. Maybe drop a difficult class you don’t enjoy, or quit a club you’re not that dedicated to. If you’re struggling with time-management in general, start using a planner and cutting down on procrastination.

I hope this Q&A type thing answered a lot of your guys’ questions. I know it’s a scary transition from middle school to high school, but I promise it’s not that bad and you’ll be adjusted in no time. I’ve been pre-writing these posts and I actually am writing this one on my second-to-last day of summer, but by now I am in school and most of you guys probably are too! After the next couple posts go up I will probably start posting in-real-time again, and I will let you guys know what my new posting schedule is. I’m always here to answer more questions and take requests for new content- keep an eye out!

-Brooke

Hello everyone!

Now that I am back in school, I’ve had to get back into my study routine. Last year (my freshman year), I learned a lot about effective ways to study; I had always just done basic review of material for big tests in middle school, but in high school I needed to study everything, and there are many quizzes/tests a week. If you guys are trying to figure out what works for you and the best ways to approach studying, keep reading for some tips!

• Use Quizlet – Quizlet is an absolute lifesaver; since it’s on your phone you can study anywhere, anytime. If you’re taking an AP course or a popular course at your school, there might even be Quizlets already made for your tests. I like using the Learn feature and then testing myself over and over, it’s the best for vocab.
• Use physical flash cards – The classic way to memorize vocab terms and such, physical flash cards are always great. Writing things out helps you remember, and you and your friends can use them to quiz each other.
• Look up practice tests/questions online – This is especially helpful for bigger tests or AP tests. I also do this a lot for tests on literature; there’s always tons of multiple choice tests you can take out there to review the material, and they might end up being similar to your actual test.
• Watch YouTube summary videos/videos related to topics – These are good refreshers that present the information in a new and exciting way. I like John Green’s Crash Course videos for different history concepts (I’m not sure if he does other subjects) but you can search anything and some videos will come up.
• Read SparkNotes and/or LitCharts – Don’t substitute reading the actual text for these websites, but they can aid in your understanding of more complex books. They also are an easy way to brush up on the plot and characters before a test.
• Call a friend and quiz each other – Sometimes you just need to talk everything out and go through your notes/other things you’ve written down with someone else. Whether over the phone or in person, quiz your friend and have them quiz you in return- this works best if you have some sort of study guide to go off of.
• Make your own study guide with questions, formulas, etc. – Study guides are a wonderful tool, and writing out your own can help you remember the information in the process before you even start studying off of it. Put all important dates/formulas/characters (it depends on the class) and other concepts, terms and definitions, all that good stuff!
• Rewrite the most important parts of your notes – As I’ve stated before, writing things out really helps you remember them. Rewrite your notes neatly but try to make them even more concise, similar to making a study guide.
• Redo homework problems (mainly math/science) – Working through the trickiest problems from a unit will prepare you for your math or science test. It’s best to do problems from your already-corrected homework because you’ll have the correct answers and work with you.

I hope these tips help you study for all of your tests throughout the year and possibly inspired you to get ahead on your studying right now. Once you settle into a routine and familiarize yourself with the general class material, it will become easier to keep going throughout the rest of the year. You’ll quickly discover what works for you and develop specialized study habits for each of your classes. I am confident you will all study hard and pass your tests with flying colors! Remember, I’m always here to answer questions or take requests for future content ideas.

-Brooke

Good morning everyone!

Today I will be discussing time management, a highly important concept for all of us. During the school year there can be a ton on your plate- homework in all your classes, sports, clubs, other extracurriculars, chores and family responsibilities, possibly a job- the list goes on. It may seem daunting to go into the year knowing how busy your schedule is about to become, but don’t fret! There is definitely a way to balance it all, as long as you carefully plan your time and are aware of all your commitments. I will be giving you some of my tips for time management and creating a healthy balance between everything, but it’s something I need to continue working on as well.

• Use a planner or calendar and write ALL important dates/times/events down– Planning and understanding what you are dedicating your time to is so important. When you have upwards of five classes plus extracurriculars, it’s easy for little things to slip your mind; however, they won’t if you write everything down as you find out about it! I always jot down my homework before I leave a class and on Sunday nights I fill in all my extracurricular commitments for the upcoming week.
• Evaluate how much you’re taking on; there IS such a thing as doing too much – Mental health always comes first, and you shouldn’t spread yourself too thin. Understand when everything becomes too much you need to step back and possibly drop a few things. It’s okay to start the year off having maybe a little bit more than you can handle, but please make those adjustments and quit the things least important to you if it becomes too overwhelming.
• Only participate in activities you genuinely enjoy – This will make it much easier to manage your time because if you actually want to do something, it won’t feel like a chore. You’ll have the most fun doing things you’re passionate about, and you’ll probably be better at those things as well. Find activities that match your interests and if there’s not a club/group that caters to it, try starting your own!
• Get as much of your homework done during school hours as possible – Whenever you can, try and get ahead on your work before you actually get home. This can be finishing your homework during any extra time at the end of class, working on homework before school starts or after school when you’re waiting to get picked up, on bus rides to sports away games, whatever. Remember to keep a balance with this too; don’t skip out on every lunch break to go do homework in the library, but try your best to get what you can done inbetween actual classwork.
• Make sure to go to bed as early as you can and get a good amount of sleep – Sleep is essential for your brain to actually function well and for you to perform in school. Staying up late into the night to study will only harm yourself (and your grades) more. Obviously get all your homework that is definitively due the next day done before bed, but go to sleep at a reasonable hour; if anything, get up a bit earlier to study.
• Accept that there might be schedule conflicts – If you have a lot of different extracurricular commitments, eventually something’s going to clash. You might have to miss a couple club events because of a band concert or a sports game, and that’s just how it is. If it gets to be too much, either drop some activities or expect to be speaking to your coaches/advisers a lot about scheduling.
• Maintain strong relationships with teachers and advisers – This goes along with my last point, but if you have good relationships with the adults in your life, they will cut you way more slack when it comes to having to miss class/events. If they know more about you and understand your other involvements, they’ll be more lenient about your scheduling. It’s also just nice to network and get to know these people in general- I’m sure they’re pretty cool.
• Know your priorities – When it comes down to it, at some point you may have to give a few activities up. You should know what’s most important to you and what activities are the most fun in case that time comes and you need to decide on what to drop. It’s often better to be more committed/involved in a few activities than just a member of lots of activities; that’s what college admissions seem to be telling us, anyways. No matter what, just have fun with your extracurriculars and engage in your classes- time is fleeting and it’s best if you soak it all in.

I hope this little guide on time management helped you out! It’s very important to know how to balance your responsibilities in order to be a successful high school student; we’re all just trying our best. You also have to keep in mind that the habits you set now will most likely carry over to college and the rest of your life, so it’s awesome if you are already a time-management superstar. I’m definitely working on this myself as I tend to get overwhelmed and stressed easily- this year I definitely have a lot more going on than I did my freshman year. Let me know if you have questions or requests as always, and stay on the lookout for more exciting content.

-Brooke

Welcome back everyone!

Now that school is about to be or already is in session depending on where you live, it’s back to doing homework and studying for tests. If you’re in high school, you probably had the option to enroll in some AP or honors level courses. Choosing to take these courses is a great way to challenge yourself and boost your GPA, but you have to do well in them for it to be worth your time and energy. I’m here to give you some tips that will help you succeed in these classes, so if you’re interested, keep reading!

• Do all your homework – A lot of worksheet/reading question type assignments will mainly be graded for completion, so it’s silly to not get those points. Doing your homework will also prepare you for your tests, so you won’t need to study as much.
• Write down all due dates and test dates as soon as you hear about them – Having a written record (especially in a planner) of when things are happening can help you plan ahead and you won’t drop the ball and forget anything.
• READ the assigned readings for classes, ESPECIALLY books for English – Similar to doing your homework, this prepares you for your tests and there’s no reason not to do it. If you really don’t have time it’s okay to skim it, but make sure to try your best. Most books you’ll read in English are actually pretty good, too.
• When there’s extra credit offered, do it – Even if you have a high grade, it’s important to get the extra points since they can help you out at the end of a grading period. Often times extra credit comes in form of study guides/review type things, so it also helps prepare you for tests!
• Befriend your teachers – If your teachers like you, they’ll be a bit more lenient if you are a bit behind on assignments. Ask for help when you need it and just get to know them because they can be pretty cool people!
• Start studying on the weekend or two days before a test – Again, you obviously won’t always have time to do this; when you do, it helps LOADS. I always study in advance for vocab tests because it’s just memorization and then I barely have to worry about it the night before. Whatever works for you and fits in your schedule, do it!
• If your teachers don’t give you study guides, make your own – I find that study guides really help me master material before a test. Sometimes teachers will give you a clear-cut one that tells you what’s on the test which is amazing, but other times you have to figure it out for yourself. Either way, make some form of study guide you can quiz yourself with.
• Take advantage of online resources – Quizlet, SparkNotes/LitCharts, and other helpful websites are lifesavers! If there’s any others your teachers/peers recommend, use those as well. Also, your teachers/school will often have their own websites where they post resources, assignments, a calendar of dates, etc., so make sure to check that.
• Pay attention in class and participate – Sometimes participation is a part of your grade; in which case this is very important, but even if it’s not graded, you still want to show your teachers you care. Listening to lectures and participating in class activities makes time go by way faster- most of the time.
• Keep all of your papers/materials organized – It’s easier to get everything done when you have it organized and together. You’ll work much more efficiently when you know where all your papers are and everything is laid out for you. Keep things in order of when you’ll be turning them in and/or importance, and have a notebook or binder for either every class or one for every two classes- whatever you prefer.
• Work ahead when you know you’ll be busy later in the week – If you already know you have a test Thursday but you have a sports game Wednesday, study for the test Monday and Tuesday. As long as you have everything written down in a planner, you’ll know how to build your schedule around your work and other time commitments.
• Compare notes/study with others – Collaboration definitely helps, as long as you stay on task. Pool all your knowledge and study material, and quiz each other (I find back-and-forth quizzing works the best). It also helps to collaborate on intimidating assignments, but make sure you’re doing your own work- cheating is only cheating yourself.
• Get the Princeton Review AP prep books and start studying about a month in advance for AP tests – This is only for AP classes, but it’s an essential step for acing the test in May. Make sure you have prep books that can help you review all of the general curriculum and give yourself plenty of time to study. Drilling practice tests is the best thing to improve your score.

I hope these tips helped you and made you feel a little bit more confident in your abilities to do well in a high-level course. Once you get a bit farther into the school year and adjust, the workload won’t seem too much harder than a normal class. It’s all about learning how to maximize your points/grading and figuring out your teacher’s grading style. However, it’s also important to actually engage in the class and learn from it; I personally feel that AP and honors courses are way more interesting. Let me know if you have any more questions about these types of classes or any requests for future content!

-Brooke

Hello everyone!

I have another back-to-school post for you all today: how I read and annotate books for school. In middle school I never had any strategy and was honestly always confused about what I was doing or looking for whenever I read for school purposes; I was used to reading for fun and only paying attention to the main plot. That didn’t work out so well once I started high school; luckily, I had an amazing English teacher to guide my class and now I feel much more confident in my annotating skills. I’m going to pass on my strategies and main tips, but just know different things work for different people- it also depends on your school/teachers and what they actually tell you to look for in a book.

• Have a bunch of different colored highlighters and make a key in the front of the book for themes/motifs/symbols (or a mix, whatever you’re looking for) – Assigning a color to a theme will make it much easier to identify when flipping through your book or pulling quotes for essays, and it also may help you remember things better just by the color association. This is a lifesaver because when you find something that represents the theme/symbol/motif you just highlight it with that color and you’re good! My teacher last year always gave us the themes that we would be looking for examples for throughout the book at the beginning of a unit, so I can’t help much if you’re on your own to figure those out when reading- the main themes of a book can often be looked up online though.
• Use SparkNotes or similar sites not IN PLACE OF reading, but SUPPLEMENTING your reading – If you’re reading something confusing and just need the simple version or even a translation sometimes (looking at you, Tale of Two Cities), these websites will always have something to help you out. I would write little notes from these in the margins of the actual book just so the “dumbed-down” version of what was going on was always there for reference. That being said, do NOT skip reading and just use these sites unless you’re on a time crunch and will go back and read at a later time. It’s also helpful to read these sites and the actual text chapter-by-chapter because it’s just extra studying/time spent familiarizing yourself with the material.
• Read a page (or even the whole chapter if this works for you) just to process, then go back and highlight/annotate/look up things you don’t understand – Similar to how reading the SparkNotes is like a second-review, sometimes you just need to actually read a passage twice and get that clarification. It may take a bit longer, but you’ll understand everything SO much better and you’ll have actually read the full thing, not just skipped to the things you want to highlight.
• LOOK UP WORDS/THINGS YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND!! – This was something my teacher really drilled into our heads. This is super important to the context of certain sentences/the plot, especially if it’s an older book and there’s just historical/cultural references you don’t understand. Looking at SparkNotes may help you with some of the major things, but it’s important to even look up singular words that you don’t know. Even if they don’t end up being relevant, you’ll be expanding your vocabulary- plus, if those things come up in another book, you’ll recognize them then!

Those are the main things I do whenever we’re reading a book in class. I’m lucky to have had a teacher that pointed us in the right direction of reading strategies last year; I hope these help you out, but I know every teacher might be looking for different things. In high school English classes, you’re pretty much always reading something (unless you’re writing!). I really enjoy reading, but I know it’s a completely different animal when you have to do it in a classroom and it comes with homework and assignments. Just try to enjoy the books you read in class; most of them are probably really good pieces of literature, and often classics. Let me know if you guys have any questions or requests- I’ll be back with more exciting content soon!

-Brooke

Hello everyone!

Today I’m going to be discussing a topic that I was curious about not so long ago: how to receive mail from different colleges. There weren’t many resources or articles discussing it, so I figured out a few things on my own and have now started to receive various mail and brochures from colleges! It’s kind of exciting to get anything in the mail, especially something from a school. If you’re interested in getting information on certain schools or anything of the sort, keep reading. Fair warning: depending on what you sign up for, your email box may be stuffed on the regular.

There are two main approaches to how you can begin getting mail/emails from universities. The first and most obvious one would be to sign up for their mailing lists. I would only recommend doing this if you have specific schools in mind/a few you’re really interested in, because you may have to fill out quite a few fields and it can be very time-consuming.

The second approach would be to check the box on AP tests/the PSAT/SAT regarding if you would like to receive communication/mail from colleges. I don’t know what the exact wording or name of it is, but it’s pretty clear on the scantron. I checked this box on my AP Human Geography test this year and didn’t get anything from it, so it may only catch schools’ attention if you are taking core subject APs or the PSAT/SAT. College Board has a page on their website called Student Search and you can sign up for the same thing (it’s meant to help you look for colleges, but the point is you can get some mail).

One last thing I wanted to mention is Naviance. It’s kind of a college-planning/future-planning tool that some schools and counselors use. I know not all schools use Naviance, but mine does- there’s an option where you can “like” certain schools and I think if you meet a certain threshold on stats or if a school is just known for sending lots of mail, there will be a notification that pops up saying a college would like to “communicate” with you. If you say yes and put in your information, you’ll start receiving mail that way. Naviance is a pretty cool resource in general, so I’ll probably go more into depth about how you can use it in another post.

I hope this post was informative in how you can start communicating with different colleges through mail; it’s definitely a shorter post, but that’s just because it’s a super simple topic! I know that it’s a little early to be thinking about the college process for myself as I’m a sophomore, but I’m an overthinker and think a lot about the future so it just happens. That being said, I figured this could help a lot of other people who are either getting started early like me, or juniors who are really starting to get involved in looking at schools. Let me know if you would like to see more posts related to the college process- I’ll be coming out with lots of other exciting content soon.

-Brooke

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