Dummies Guide to High School.

To the Freshman in high school: Your journey has just begun. This is the time when you get a little glimpse of the real world. You get a little more freedom but you are still under the guidance of your parents and have a LOT more to learn. You are going to learn a lot of life lessons in the next few years that you will remeber and take with you for the rest of your life. There’s going to be lots of ups and downs in the following 4 years, but always remember to make the best of it. You don’t know where you’re going to be after that or what you are going to be doing so realize that you guys have so much potential and you have so many opportunities to explore the world so dip your feet in everything, because if you don’t you might end up regretting it. Try everything you can and join sports teams and clubs becuase they will become another family for you that you will remember for the rest of your life. I don’t know what my high school career would have been like without Water Polo or the clubs that I joined. So good luck to everyone part of the class of 2020.

To the Sophomores: You guys are no longer the newbies! Congrats on making it through your first year of high school. But now brace yourselves cuz its only going to get harder from here. Freshman year must have seemed super easy for most of you, as it did for me, but sophomore year is a much bigger step. I give you guys the same advice as the freshman. You guys still have a lot of time to explore what you want to do. You don’t have to know what you want to do. There might be pressure from your parents to choose a certain field or take certain classes, but in the end it is you life and not theirs and if you are not happy with what you are doing then you will never have any fun doing it. Find something that you are passionate about and really care for and know that if you put the right amount of time into it, you will succeed. Sophomore year is kind of like an in between year of having it easy the year before but the following year is going to be really tough so take the time to get sleep. Don’t stay up late thinking its cool or thinking its fun. You are going to wish that you slept more once you get to your second half of high school. The last thing I would like to say to you guys is that you should start prepping for the standardized tests at this point but don’t feel like you have to do it 24/7. You have a lot of time to take the tests and all you need to do is start preparing yourself. So good luck to everyone part of the class of 2019, you guys got this!

To the Juniors: You guys almost there! You got one more year till you guys are the Kings and Queens of high school. This year is by far the most stressful, but also the most fun. This year is when most of you will end up starting to finalize what you want to do. If not, its ok you have so much time to decide. You don’t even have to know what you are doing till you are in college. Everything will turn out ok. Congrats on surviving the first half of high school becuase it is a pretty big accomplishment. As i’ve said before, it only gets harder as the years go on so brace yourself for a year packed with standardized tests (ACTs or SATs), and all the AP/Honors classes you will take. This year is judgement year. This is the year that is most important so make it count. Try your best no matter how hard it may be. There will be times when you are going to feel like school sucks and that you just cannot deal with it anymore but push through becuase there is a light at the end of the tunnel and you are so close to it. Think of it this way, as my parents have told me countless times,

If you work hard now, then in the future you will end up having it much easier rather than if you slack off now, the future is going to be tough for you.

I know that it sounds cheesy and something that your parents will tell you, but listen to it coming from me, someone who is just 2 years older than you. Put in all the hard work you can now and in the end you are going to look back and thank yourself for making it easier for you in the future. This is also the year most of you are going to start driving, so be careful and have fun! With driving comes a lot of responsibility and also a lot more freedom so enjoy it but also take care of yourself and speeding might seem fun at first but there are a lot of chances for accidents to happen so don’t take the newfound freedom for granted.

This year is also the year you will be taking those standardized tests I mentioned before. They are hard for many people and there are the small percentage of people for whom it just comes easy to. Don’t ever think that you are part of that group. Studying will never hurt you, it only helps you. So spend time studying and the more time you put into it, the better results you are going to end up getting. So, good luck to the Class of 2018! You guys are almost there. Just hold on tight, you got this.

To the Seniors: I would like to start off by congratulating all of you. You guys made it through high school and you are almost done, so close! So, Congrats. Pat yourselves on the back. You guys made it, almost. This last year comes in two parts. The College Apps phase and then, of course, The Senioritis. First semester is full of apps and studying and you guys just have to hold on tight because you guys are literally at the end of the tunnel and the light is right there waiting for you. I know most of you have that feeling of wanting to just go and be done with everything but don’t lose focus. This year still counts. College apps will be taking into account everything so don’t mess up in this final year. First semester will be really busy trying to get everything done on time. Don’t rush anything. Take your time with your essays and your apps. You don’t want to mess something up. These applications are the most important things in your life right now and you want to make sure that everything is perfect. At the same time, you all should know that there are thousands of colleges and universities in the country and hundreds of thousands more outside of it. Theres a place for each and every one of you and not getting into some of the big name colleges will not kill you. No matter where you go, the education you get is what you make of it, not the place you get your degree from. Yes, the more notable the college or univeristy is the more the degree might seem to stand for, but in the end what matters is what you accomplished there and what you learned there. A student from De Anza can land the same job as a student from Berkeley. It just depends on you, the student. You work hard and you will get what you want. You don’t work hard and it will end up showing. So always strive to do the best you can.

Now for the second phase of senior year, The Senioritis. You may think it’s not real or may laugh about it saying that you won’t get it but trust me, you will at some point during second semester hit this phase. It is a disease and I have been a receptor of it and trust me it is bad. Second semester will be full of awesome and fun adventures, but never forget that you need to keep your grades up to go to the college you got into. If not, they have every right to rescind you, so always watch out and even though it may seem like you are almost done and school doesn’t matter, it does. Make sure to not lose focus because this final year decides where you go to for the next part of your life. So, I would like to congratulate the Class of 2017 for making it through 4 tough years of school and making it through all the ups and downs and twists and turns that life may have thrown at you. Finish strong. You guys are inches away from the finish line. Good Luck.