High School Survival Guide - Freshman Year (P2)

To continue with the advice I shared in the previous post, the next piece of advice I would like to give you is to start building relationships with your teachers. So, what do I mean by that? For instance, if in the future you want to major in math when you go to college, it is a good idea to start building relationships with your math teacher now. They will be the ones writing your letters of recommendation. The more time you spend talking to these teachers and sharing different information with them, the better they can understand you. This understanding will help them write meaningful letters of recommendation, which will be very helpful in getting you into top institutions.

However, you don't need to be overly strategic when building relationships. Just be yourself and talk about things that interest you. This sense of authenticity is what will make a lasting impact on your teachers. So, reach out to your teachers and discuss your interests. You might even consider giving them a small gift as a token of appreciation.

Another thing I really encourage you to do is to start joining clubs. Clubs are something very unique to high school. Typically, when you're in middle school, there aren’t many opportunities to engage in different activities and explore various interests. However, in high school, you will have many opportunities to discover what you want to pursue. Most clubs are led and founded by students, so the activities held in these meetings are often very engaging.

I believe this can be a great opportunity to discover your passions and interests—things you may not have been able to explore deeply before. For example, if you like math, join a math club; if you like science, join a science club. A cool aspect of high school clubs is that they can introduce you to new opportunities and interests that you may not have heard of before. For instance, in ninth grade, I joined a Model United Nations (MUN) club, which helped me understand more about MUN and sparked my interest in that activity.

Another benefit of joining clubs is that you will have the opportunity to meet new people, including those your age and older. This way, you can bond over shared interests and build new friendships. Additionally, you can start making an impact in your school community, something that will be greatly appreciated by those around you.

Oh, and I can't forget to mention this: when you are in your freshman year of high school, it is likely that you are going through puberty, which means you will experience many physiological changes. I know that some people don’t feel comfortable discussing their concerns with others, but in my honest opinion, if you are facing mental distress from things you have not experienced before—like getting a low grade or going through a breakup—it is best to seek advice from others. They can be family members, friends, or even older students in high school, as they are also teenagers facing similar problems.

Another way you can receive support is by seeking out your school counselor. They are trained to deal with issues that arise during the teenage years. Your school counselor can be an amazing resource for advice and support when it comes to emotional problems. But definitely don’t force yourself to talk to other people about things that you don’t feel comfortable talking about - there can also be a lot of ways you can receive support, for instance, going on Reddit and seeing how people have previously responded to these kinds of problems. There are also organizations that help support these types of issues anonymously, so don’t feel like your problems are forever stuck with you. But again, there can be many coping mechanisms that you can apply, which can help you go through these tough times.