The Beginning: Freshman Year
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Freshman year is the most daunting of the first four years of your experience. You enter as a 14-year-old, and you are attending school with those who are already 18. They all seem to have their careers and aspirations figured out, but don’t worry! They were probably in your exact shoes four years ago. Freshman year is a great year to figure out the high school landscape and develop relationships with mentors and those older than you that can offer advice. And remember, every person is different, so stay true to yourself!
Figure out who the good teachers are
Every high school has their own culture, and I truly believe that quickly understanding which teachers are helpful are essential to having an enjoyable high school experience. Those who have a great reputation with students for fair grading and down-to-earth personalities are great resources and mentors. A great way to start is to drop in during their office hours! Office hours are not just meant for homework clarification. In fact, this is a great time to ask about your interests and if they have any advice for what it is you want to do. For example, let’s say you’re interested in pursuing law and you really like your English teacher. Drop by their office hours and ask if they have any advice for you in pursuing law and how English can help with that. In addition, ask if they are leading any clubs! These are two great conversation starters to initiate a deeper conversation, and by asking for advice, you are automatically creating a mentor/mentee relationship. I personally found myself gravitating towards young female teachers who were POC (people of color). For me, they created a safe space to express my goals and dreams, and I always felt like they understood where I was coming from.
Understand what courses are offered at your school, take note, and keep an eye out for honors and AP classes for the future
Course selection can be difficult given the wide variety of required and elective classes you can choose from. My top recommendation is to talk to your assigned school counselor as soon as possible and ask them for a list of all the courses, and their prerequisites offered at your school. Students might be shocked when they realize they can not just take a certain class because they do not meet the prerequisites, and now it is too late. It is exceptionally important to understand what Advanced Placement (AP) and Honors classes are offered. Advanced Placement classes are typically challenging courses offered at the college level. Depending on your high school grading system, this may boost your weighted GPA greatly. An “A” in an AP class might be worth more than an “A” in a normal class, and a “B” in an AP may offer the same weight as an “A” in a normal class. Honor classes are also more challenging classes, but their GPA offerings differ from school to school. While these may sound challenging, it is a great way to show colleges that you are often pushing yourself to excel in difficult classes that you find interesting! I found this to be especially true for classes such as Computer Programming or Fine Arts. If your school doesn't offer AP classes, do not stress - you are not behind! They are not a necessity, only a bonus! If you still want to challenge yourself, talk to your counselor about taking online college courses that show your interest instead! Brigham Young University (BYU) offers many courses online for a minimal fee, as do many others!
Join clubs and sports
Every high school has extracurriculars, after-school clubs, and a sports program. Joining and participating in these activities your freshman year allows you to have a head start. If you find these no longer interest you later on, then it is perfectly fine to try something else! However, there are two main reasons to join sports and clubs early: One, these activities are usually overseen by a teacher or faculty member. This is a great way to develop a good relationship with this faculty member so that they can later write a solid letter of recommendation for you. Getting to know a student's growth over the period of a year is typically very difficult, but having them monitor your progress over the span of two to three years will put you ahead of the curve. Two, joining these extracurriculars are also fun and enriching experiences that can lead to friendships. Particularly, clubs and sports are great ways to meet upperclassmen so they can help you through things that they already experienced! Extracurriculars are also great for exploring your interest and provides you content and experiences outside of studying to later write about in your essays for college admissions. Lastly for sports, if you find yourself exceptionally successful and are eager to continue playing in college, this can lead to admission and scholarships instantly if you wish to sign with them. You would be playing your sport for your university!
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Other than these three things, which can be easily accomplished, I would just encourage you to be as open to others as possible, be kind and understanding, and have fun!
