High school. It’s a time in your life where you make life-long friends, learn from your teachers and peers, and eventually start figuring out the direction your life is going to take – but surviving it is a whole different story.

It’s Never Like the Movies

High school isn’t like what they make it out to be in the movies and it’s nearly impossible to map out the next four years based on something out of a Disney film. As much as we want our experience to be similar to the movies, the reality is that finding a balance between education, friends, and extracurricular can be quite difficult. As a freshman, everything is new and you aren’t sure what to expect. It’s a balance of dealing with feeling apathy and caring too much at the same time.

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Be You and the Friend You Would Want

It’s easy to lose yourself in high school being that there are so many adjustments that are needed to be made. Teenagers often have low self-esteem, especially when surrounded by hundreds of people that seem to be better at everything. However, it’s important not to compare yourself to others and it’s also exhausting to constantly pick out your flaws. Be proud of who you are and your accomplishments. When it comes to meeting new people and making friends, they’ll be looking for the qualities that make you, you. Don’t spend every waking moment trying to be “popular” either. If you’re likable and easy to be around, people will naturally gravitate towards you.

Avoid the Drama

You’ll also want to have good, trustworthy friends with the same values that aren’t going to cause unnecessary drama. You don’t need to be creating enemies or putting others down. Just be kind and considerate of people. It’s not difficult to do.

Stay Organized

The farther you go in school the more challenges you’ll face when it comes to your education. There will always be more quizzes, assignments, tests, and other things that need to get done. Keep track of your work and prioritize tasks with an organizer or calendar. It will make your life easier and you’ll be less likely to forget important dates. There are only so many hours in the day, so do not take on more than what you have to. Extracurricular activities coupled with other social events are important to have in your life, just make sure there is a proper balance between work and play.

Make Friends With Your Teachers

It sounds like a weird concept but it’s true. Some of them you might not deem as fair or tolerable but it can prevent you from failing. Respect your teachers during class and pay attention to what they say. They are doing their job to educate you and will help you when you’re struggling with a concept or subject you don’t understand.

Learn more high school advice here.