Just a couple months ago, you were walking through the halls of your middle school as your teachers held your hand and told you that “high school teachers won’t put up with this.” My 8th grade history teacher used to refer to our middle school as 'prison' and I didn't truly realize what he meant until I went to high school. You’ll learn quickly that high school is a COMPLETELY different ball park.

Four years may sound like eternity but it will fly by. Before you know it you will be walking across the stage, looking back on four roller coaster years. My freshman year was new friends, football games, and gawking at older boys.

Here’s everything I learned my freshman year of high school.

If you are invited to smoke or drink, say no. I know it sounds cheesy but freshman year is for bonfires and ice cream dates--not getting yourself in trouble. Trust me, later on in life you will have opportunities to drink. Have legal fun during high school instead of making decisions that will haunt you. You are not a senior in college yet so do not act like it. Never let anyone pressure you into doing anything you do not want to do.

Go to football games decked out in your school's colors and cheer your heart out. Go watch other sports too--especially the ones that do not get the recognition they deserve. Go to every school dance and don’t worry about how you look. You're not too cool for high school events I promise you. Life begins when you stop letting peoples' opinions bother you.

Find friends who support you and help you to grow as a person. I spent too much of high school trying to make everyone love me instead of spending time with the people who really cared about me. Don’t get me wrong, you should smile at people when you walk through the halls and always be kinder than necessary; however, there's a huge difference between being a good person and letting people who do not treat you well walk all over you.

You will grow out of certain friendships and that’s okay. Your middle school best friends might not stay your best friends and that's okay.

Teachers are there to help you, even the ones that seem like they have no souls. As an education major I can vouch that you need a lot of soul to teach. Don’t be afraid to go in for tutoring or raise your hand in class. Make teacher buddies. It never hurts to have a couple teachers who you can be close to and run to their room when you have nowhere else to go. Participate in class discussions. Be open to new ideas while lighting the world up with your own.

Learn how to study and how to manage your time. Your work load only gets more intense as you go through school. Try hard in school if you want to go to a good college.

Enjoy your freshman year. You’ll fail but I swear to you if you get back up things will get better. High school isn’t always fun but one day you’ll look back on the good moments (and maybe even life's tougher moments) and miss it.