Dear Freshmen,

Congrats, you’ve made it this far. Now it is time, it is time for you to become the person you're destined to be. The next four years are going to go by so fast, you’re going to look back and wish they didn’t. So make the most of it, don’t let the weight of the world drag you down, enjoy this time, enjoy high school.

What you’ve heard about high school, probably isn’t true, I promise you don’t get thrown into trash cans or shoved into lockers. No, seniors don't steal your lunch money or throw your books on the ground, those are just things to make it seem more interesting. The only scary thing about high school is that every mistake you make, every bad grade you get, and everything you do is accounted for, whether you realize it or not.

First of all, seniors aren’t all that bad. They don’t run the school, although they’d like to think they do, they don’t bully innocent freshmen on their first day, if anything they are there to help you, you just have to ask. So just take that thought out of your mind. They were in your shoes, and they know how you feel. They want to see you succeed, not fall.

Second, the next four years are either going to be the best or the worst, it just depends on you and your attitude, just remember that.

Grades may not have seemed like a big deal for you in middle school, or elementary school, but now they matter. DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT take your freshmen year classes as a joke. That just puts you on the path to do badly throughout the next four years and trust me you do not want that. Take your classes seriously and do all the work the teacher assigns. Even if it seems pointless, and I assure you, a lot of it will, still do it. It will only better you in the future. If a teacher offers you extra credit, do it! You will be thankful you did. I know you are under a lot of pressure by your peers and your parents. Your parents only want the best for you, so get the grades and do your work. As for your peers, do not let them influence your decisions on homework, classwork, etc. If they want to do badly and they think it’s cool to not do their work, let them, don’t follow in their footsteps. But most important, if you do not understand something that is being taught to you, ask questions! Ask as many questions that you need, and if you still don’t understand it, ask again! Ask until you understand it. Stay after class, come before school, do whatever you can to make sure you understand what you are being taught. If you still do not understand it, go see a different teacher, that teachers the subject you are struggling in. No teacher teaches alike and they might be able to help you see it a different way. Your current teacher will not be upset that you are seeking help elsewhere, they will be happy you show the motivation to understand the concepts being taught. Stay organized and keep a planner, I promise it will help. Challenge yourself every day and learn as much as you can, it will only help you succeed the rest of your high school career.

It may sound brutal but it is the truth, you will not remain friends with people you have known your whole life. No matter how badly you want too, it may not happen. But if you lose touch with friends, just let them go. I know it sounds rough and even sad, but you have to do it. You can’t let people hold you back from being happy. You and your friends may seem super close, but you both are going to find things you don’t agree on, you will fight and maybe eventually that friendship will be lost, but that’s okay! It is okay because you can make new friends, talk to people you usually wouldn’t talk too. Just because you are a freshman doesn’t mean you can’t be friends with the upperclassmen, but if you are friends with them, just don’t brag about it. You are going to realize a lot of your friends are fake and not trustworthy, when you realize that, let those friends go, it’s for your own good. You’ll learn how temporary some people are. You’ll also learn that just because you think you can trust someone doesn’t mean one day they will turn on you and expose all the deepest secrets you told them, so just be careful on who you tell things too. If you happen to screw up and talk badly about a friend because they did something to make you angry, just be honest with them and tell them. Tell them what you said, admit it. It is always better, to be honest, that goes for relationships as well. But if they confront you about something that isn’t true, be sure to tell them it’s not, and explain your side of the story, if they don’t believe you, then maybe there was already issues in that friendship. Friends trust each other, they have each other’s back. No matter how busy a friend is if they truly care they will make time for you, just remember that. If your mom tells you that a friend is no good, listen to her cause chances are, she is right. I learned that, many people learn that. Your parents want the best for you, including the best friendships, not fake ones that will end badly.

Take a deep breath, realize that High School is not as bad as they say… Sure you will have bad days, bad weeks even, and there are going to be times where you feel like you are completely alone, but I promise you, that you aren’t. You just need to find those people that care, and that will take time. You’re going into high school with thoughts of what you’ve heard from others. But just stay calm and clear your head of the negative thoughts. Make these four years count, have fun, take risks, join a club, play a sport, join theater, do something you usually wouldn’t do. But most of all have fun. If you have the mindset that you are going to have a terrible time, and it is going to be the worst four years of your life, that is exactly what it’s going to be, but if you go in thinking that you are going to be happy and have the best four years that’s what will happen. Make memories, talk to new people, and you’ll find yourself along the way. Your passions will come out, you’ll want to make all your dreams come true, and when you’re a senior, you will look back and tell yourself that everything that happened in high school, happened for a reason and that is all that matters.

Well go ahead, enjoy high school now, and remember the same people you started it with, will not be the people you ended it with. Have fun and BE HAPPY!!

Sincerely,

The Graduate