When it comes to high school, the transition to freshman year can seem like a big deal, but it's actually really easy with a few important tips. It's the transition from freshman to sophomore year that you have to really watch out for because you think you've got high school down (when you're really just getting started). So, to keep from falling into a mess of stress, here are 47 differences between freshman and sophomore year you'll be thankful you have in your back pocket.
1. Yes, freshmen are THAT annoying.
When I was a freshman, I felt that we weren't as bad as upperclassmen said we were. I thought we were well-behaved, but now that I’m a sophomore, I can see why upperclassmen felt this animosity.
2. AP classes actually become a lot tougher.
This depends on the school, but because the majority of freshmen in my area start off with AP Government and build up, it’s difficult to go to AP World History. And people lower their standards to avoid feeling disappointed with their AP grades.
Honestly, don’t ever lower your personal standards to match the average.
3. Freshman year is like an introduction to high school…ah
I don’t think I had a really bad day that year, but there was just this one time.
4. ...but sophomore year is a dive into the deep end.
5. Your sleep schedule completely changes.
To many sophomores, 10 p.m. is early, and sleeping late is normal. For me and many others, midnight is the cutoff.
6. Your health becomes more important than ever.
What you eat and how much you sleep are two things you have to constantly remind yourself to check because you’ll feel the need to neglect personal needs to finish work.
7. Grades dictate a lot more of your life.
Yes, they’ve always been important, but now, your future is brought up to your face a lot more.
8. You'll find yourself comparing your success to others'.
Honestly, comparing yourself to others does absolutely nothing. Everyone is different, and if you try achieving someone else’s standards, you won’t be succeeding on your own terms.
9. College discussions can start to worry you.
In the long run, there’s really nothing to worry about when someone starts bragging about what colleges they’re applying to. You’ll go far if you work hard to make yourself happy.
10. Lunch often becomes an extra study hall period.
Doesn’t mean you should skip lunch every day to do homework. If you're busy that evening, take 10 minutes to actually eat, and then start homework.
11. The weekends are meant to actually relax, not to go out too much.
Weekdays are really exhausting, so be sure you’re making up for the lost hours of sleep during the week.
12. You cannot have any plans on Sundays.
Well, you can, but Sunday is the understood “Homework Day” of the week. Put on some music or a show in the background, and just work.
13. You finally understand why people say high school is stressful.
14. You'll have more frequent headaches.
I didn’t believe others when they told me this, but it’s true. Try not to let them even happen in the first place.
15. You'll find the urge to suddenly take a ton of extracurriculars.
Be careful that you don’t take too many extracurriculars just to look good for colleges. Do what you love and build upon that.
SEE ALSO:How Many Extracurriculars You Have Doesn't Matter, Your Passion Does
16. You might find yourself having more bad days than usual.
On days you get less sleep, you won’t be in as good of a mood, and that’s okay. Others will have to understand since they’re going through the same thing.
17. You'll check your grades way too often.
It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it definitely keeps you aware of how well you’re doing. Just don’t check your grades only to make sure you’re passing a class or have the bare minimum.
18. Doing homework as soon as you come home is often too exhausting.
You’re not going to want to jump into work right when you sit down at home, so don’t feel too guilty for taking time to rest first.
19. You no longer have to worry about procrastination because you just want to sleep early.
20. Upperclassmen go from seeming intimidating to being the best mentors.
Quite a few of my friends are in higher grades than me. Befriend upperclassmen because you can ask them anything, and they’ll most likely have the answers for you.
21. Social media is your biggest enemy.
I’ve had to delete social media several times throughout the year to stop reaching for my phone, and it actually works.
22. Midterms season strengthens your friendships.
I always make some of my favorite memories during midterm season because of the study groups I'm in.
23. Breaks move a lot faster.
24. You’ll find yourself missing freshman year too much.
25. No, seriously. You’ll long to go back to then.
At the beginning of sophomore year, I was truly upset that ninth grade was over. Everyone feels this way the first few weeks, but you’ll quickly like your new classes.
SEE ALSO:Why I Miss Freshman Year Of High School
26. Study groups ensure your success in tougher classes.
You’re bound to be confused about something, so having others to go to is the key to success.
27. You’ll have one or two go-to sweatshirts you love.
Especially when you approach the end of first semester, you’ll be reaching more often for the sweatshirts rather than the nicer clothes.
28. Your time management skills soar through the roof.
29. The workload reflects what stress feels like.
The most common technique work efficiently is tackling smaller assignments first, then bigger assignments and plain studying.
30. Your thought process matures.
You begin to think rationally instead of emotionally, making you more focused on true aspirations rather than trying to look better than others.
31. You finally stop wanting to grow up.
You’d think the longing to grow older stops as soon as you hit high school, but that feeling only sinks in when you’re buried deep in work, something ninth grade doesn't do.
32. The year moves by a lot faster than each individual day feels.
Each day can seem dreary by itself, but you’d be surprised at how it’s suddenly October, then December, then March and so on.
33. Your hands will cramp a lot from excessive typing and writing.
As a consequence of doing so much writing, your palm will start to cramp, but typing a lot will cramp your fingers.
34. Course recommendation season is the time for you to think about your life decisions.
This was a struggle for me because I was not prepared to face the pressure of seeing what others were doing. I had to realize that what I chose to do was according to my future, not anybody else’s.
35. You feel very loyal to your school and competitive against others.
Yeah, football games are competitive, but academic competition is where everyone plays a role. And no one backs out.
36. You buy a lot more workbooks and study tools than the previous year.
Barron’s books are my biggest saviors for AP classes.
37. You'll replace binders with notebooks.
Binders aren't healthy for your back, so use spiral notebooks to hold papers and take notes.
38. Your printer and WiFi have to be working at all times.
But don’t freak out if one of them isn’t working; if it were a big assignment, you’d have already started and almost finished (as a responsible student).
39. You may sometimes feel tense around friends.
This happens more frequently toward the middle of the school year, when everyone is extremely cranky from so much work. If you’re clear when explaining you’re not feeling your best, others will understand.
40. Waking up early seems even more like a chore.
41. Netflix always plays in the background when you’re working.
I cannot work if I don’t have white noise in the background, so I put a boring TV show in the background while I do my homework.
42. You have a go-to playlist that you update every so often.
43. As the year finishes, you'll miss sophomore year.
You’ll look at the memories you made in the past year and only wish you didn’t spend so much time wanting to be a freshman again.
44. Summer courses are your key to finding the right career pathway.
Summer courses are usually the classes you don’t want to take during the school year because they’re required credits that you’re not interested in.
45. You’re either thinking about your after school schedule or about sleeping.
46. Days without homework are the blessings you’ve been asking for.
It’s not that you don’t have any work at all to do. It’s that you finally have a day to catch up on the work you’d put aside for weekends.
