A Letter to Freshmen

Happy Tuesday y'all! Today is my last day of summer, which I am so upset about as I am so not ready to return to the world of homework and projects and tests! It's also crazy to think that I am about to begin my last year of high school and this time next year I'll be heading off to college! Thankfully, I have a lot going on to distract me from school momentarily like the fact that the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale is still going on, which you can see my picks for here!

Anyways, today is the start of a mini series on Chic in Carolina: advice for high school freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. And as you have may have guessed, I will be starting off with my advice (a "letter") to freshmen today!

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Get involved. I am so thankful that one of my teachers who is a family friend as well pulled me aside my freshman year and asked me to come to a meeting for the founding of the Service Committee at my school. I'm now the Vice President of the Committee and can't imagine how different things would be if I didn't attend that meeting. Even if your "call to action" is a bit more subtle, it's so important to get involved freshmen year. Most schools have a variety of organizations to chose from and it's an awesome way to meet new people or to get to know people you already know a bit better!

Expect change. For better or for worse, high school isn't going to be exactly like middle school and, honestly, it will be hard to expect that at times. I go to a small school and I went to middle (and elementary) school with the majority of my classmates so I wasn't really expecting things to be a lot different. The first semester was a bit of an adjustment period for me (I think that's fairly normal) but you definitely find "your place" second semester.

Take your classes seriously. Freshman year does matter! Even though your freshman year grades may not be looked at as much when it comes to college applications, having a solid foundation in your GPA is super important. Studying hard freshman year and developing these study habits (more on this a bit below) are especially helpful for just preparing for the years to come.

Ask for help. It's totally ok to ask for help whether that means sticking around a few minutes after school to have your teacher or an upperclassmen read your essay, submitting test corrections on a test you didn't do so hot on, or asking your advisor or homeroom teacher general questions about school. There's nothing wrong in doing this and it will actually help you out in the long run!

Be open to new friendships. As I mentioned, I've gone to school with the majority of my classmates for a while but that doesn't mean you can't meet new friends. Be nice to everyone and just know that people tend to grow from the person they were in middle school (thankfully) so don't let that stop you!

Don't be scared. TV shows make freshman year look so much scarier than it actually is. I promise you won't be shoved into a locker and your teachers aren't out to fail you (the opposite actually).

Find what study habits work for you. Going off of taking your classes seriously, freshman year is the time to figure out what works for you study wise! Are you better off taking notes on your computer or by hand? Are you a notecard person or do you prefer Quizlet? Figuring these out will help you so much in classes and establish that foundation for success!

What tips do you have for freshmen? Are you an incoming freshmen? Let me know in the comments!