After surviving three years of high school, I still wouldn’t consider myself qualified to give advice on the subject, but I’m doing it anyways.

1. PLAY A SPORT

Start playing a sport freshman or sophomore year to meet new people at school. After school practices and games really force you to manage your time properly and will prepare you for the many stressful years ahead. Start a sport freshman or sophomore year and the likelihood of you making varsity for that sport by the time you are a junior or a senior will increase.

2. JOIN CLUBS 

Joining clubs is a great way to get more involved with the school. Try to join as many honors clubs as possible and DON’T BE AFRAID TO RUN FOR OFFICER POSITIONS. You can even start your own club if you’re really interested in something that isn’t already one.

3. APPLY FOR SGA OR NEWSPAPER 

Student Government is a great class to join if you want to get more involved with the school and share creative ideas for homecoming, spirit weeks, etc. Newspaper is also a great class to join if you want to be more involved in school. Both require interviews to join but if you don’t make it the first time, don’t let that discourage you from trying next year! I know a lot of people that didn’t make it into SGA their first try but made it the second time around.

4. TAKE AP CLASSES 

AP classes might seem too stressful, but some of them are worth the stress. My personal favorites were AP U.S. History, AP Psychology, AP Chemistry, and AP Calculus. I used to hate history but APUSH was definitely one of the best classes I’ve ever taken in my life. AP Psych is just a really interesting subject that anyone would probably enjoy. AP Chem isn’t the EASIEST subject, but the labs are fun and the class itself is even more fun. DO NOT LET THE DIFFICULTY LEVEL OF PRE-CALC DISCOURAGE YOU FROM TAKING AP CALC. AP CALC IS SO MUCH EASIER AND WILL RESTORE YOUR FAITH IN MATH.

5. DON’T LET BAD GRADES RUIN YOU 

Yes I will admit I have stress-cried during school more times than I would have liked to. Looking back at it, I have realized that there are ways to make up for bad grades and it will all be okay in the long-run. If you get a bad grade, WORK HARDER next quarter/semester.

6. START STUDYING FOR THE ACT/SAT BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE 

Save yourself the trouble of trying to retake standardized tests multiple times to get a good score. Start studying sophomore year or the summer before junior year. If you have trouble with time limits, the SAT might be better to focus on because the ACT is FAST.

7. RUN FOR CLASS OFFICER POSITIONS 

This is probably one of the best decisions I have made in high school. A lot of people don’t usually run for class officer positions so the odds of getting elected are in your favor. Being a class officer is a great way to work with administrators and other students in your grade.

8. DON’T BE AFRAID TO MAKE NEW FRIENDS 

Having good friends makes high school a lot more enjoyable. Don’t be afraid to befriend people who aren’t old middle school acquaintances. Even if you don’t become “close” with a lot of people, having a lot of friends in high school will make classes a little less painful.

9. DON’T BE AFRAID TO EXPLORE YOUR INTERESTS 

NEVER be embarrassed of something you’re interested in. There are so many ways to start hobbies or indulge in your interests in high school. Don’t let the fear of judgment stop you from taking advantage of all the opportunities in high school.

10. HAVE FUN

To anyone who knows me, this is kind of hypocrisy but whatever. Make sure to find a good balance between school work and the things you enjoy. If you are on my side of the spectrum, you don’t always need to be working. Spend time with friends and have fun once and a while. If you are on the opposite side of the spectrum, don’t fall too behind in school because it will all catch up to you.