The time in a young adult’s life when they make the switch from middle school to high school is a big one. It’s filled with mixed emotions, questions and pressure. Here are 11 tips on surviving freshman year.

Don’t worry too much about how many friends you have.

Yes, I know, being the most popular kid in your class seems pretty cool. But trust me, by the time you get to senior year or even junior year, you’ll have about one or two good friends-and that’s really all you need.

In addition to the previous tip, be prepared to lose (but also gain!) friends during the next four years.

I went into my freshman year with three really good friends, drifted apart from them by sophomore year, made new friends, things fell apart during my junior year, and now I am friends with an entirely different group of people.

Don’t make enemies.

You’re allowed to dislike people in school, especially if they wrong you somehow, but these next four years are going to be some of the best of your life. Don’t ruin it by having pent up hatred and anger.

High school is a time to start fresh and try new things. Join clubs and/or sports!

One of the biggest things I regret over these past four years was not getting involved in school activities. You make so many friends by joining teams and clubs, and there are so many out there that you can’t even say that nothing interests you.

Don’t worry about what people think of you.

If there’s only one tip that you actually listen to, I hope it’s this one. This is so important. The first two years of my high school career, I was so worried about what people thought about me in regards to absolutely everything. It drove me crazy wondering what people thought of my hair or my outfit. There are so many other things you could do with your time, energy and thoughts rather than worry about other people’s opinions of you. Don’t let it consume you.

Upperclassmen aren’t as bad as people make them out to be.

Most of the time, we remember what it’s like to be a nervous freshman. As long as you don’t do anything obnoxious, i.e. walk on the wrong side of the hallway, walk at the speed of a snail, scream when you see your “BFFs” who you saw last period, etc, upperclassmen won’t bother you.

Sometimes you get bad grades on things. It happens, don’t beat yourself up over it.

I promise you that getting one 60 won’t really matter in the long run, as long as you work your hardest to not get a grade like that again. Don’t make unfortunate incidents habits.

Repeatedly getting bad grades isn’t cool. Not graduating isn’t cool. Not caring about anything isn’t cool. Disrespecting teachers isn’t cool.

I know I’m about to sound like your parents with what I’m about to say, but this is your future we’re talking about. Apply yourself to everything, work hard at what you do, and be proud of yourself! You’re going to feel a lot better graduating at the top of your class rather than the very bottom. And trust me, by the time senior year comes around and you have to start applying to colleges, you’re going to much rather enter your 4.0 GPA as opposed to a 1.0 GPA.

Do your homework and actually pay attention in class!

Homework really will make or break your grade, and it will help you remember what you learned for your next lesson. It’s better to know what’s going on in class than to be asking your neighbor what you’re learning every day.

Everything will be okay.

You’re going to survive, you’re going to pass the class, you’re going to get into college and you’re going to be okay.

Do everything you can, these years fly by.

Every opportunity that you are offered in high school, take it. Go to the football games. Go see the musicals and the band concerts. High school is only a few short years, and whoever said it flies by couldn’t be more right. Do everything you can, get involved and make memories. You won’t regret it.