Dear 14-year-old self,

I know high school might be a month away but you got to know what’s coming to you. That’s why I’m here. Drop those arguments you’re having with middle school frenemies as soon as possible and get ready to embark on this new odyssey (no pun intended).

High school is a quick time that will most likely either be the best four years of your life or the worst four. Now it’s up to you to alter your path. I know high school seems scary right now but trust me- it gets better. Here’s some advice that you should take to have a great high school life.

1. During freshmen year try to make as many friends as you can. I guarantee you that all of these individuals won’t be with you by the end of high school but don’t worry about that right now. That’s part of the high school learning process.

2. Try to start your high school career with some rigorous courses if they are available to you. However, taking rigorous courses and doing poorly in them is not beneficial to you so take on a workload that is right for you. In terms of grades, you should maintain relatively high grades as a freshmen. You can do this by managing your time well and not cramming for tests/projects the night before. Also, you can cooperate with friends to create study guides or you can do old homework assignments. These tactics will definitely bring your test grades up. In my opinion this year is going to be the easiest for you so why not start out high school with high grades! This will ultimately help you in the future college process but don’t stress too much about that right now.

3. Participate in extracurricular activities that YOU are interested in. This includes joining clubs, sports teams, debate teams, math teams etc. You will definitely gain a lot of memorable experiences and friends from these activities. In addition, you will be able to show off to colleges! But as I said before, don’t worry about college right now.

4. Talk to your teachers as much as you need, for any kind of help. They are the ones that will help you succeed and I am sure that they will never deny your request for help. They’re here for a reason and you should utilize them as much as you can.

5. Create good relationships with teachers. This way they can be helpful to you when you need them (ie. if you have a problem with a deadline for an assignment, asking them to extend this would be easier if you have a better relationship with them). In addition, if you maintain well developed relationships with teachers, when the time comes around, you can ask them for a rave or a recommendation for colleges and other internship opportunities that you may pursue. However, you still have about three years to develop these relationships with teachers, so don’t worry too much about that now.

I know all this information might be overwhelming, but trust me, it will be helpful to you in the long run. As of right now, I am in the middle of the college admissions process and there is so much I wish I would’ve done as a freshmen. If I had engaged in more activities and been more proactive in my freshmen year, then this process would have been less of a burden.

To wrap things up, high school will go by even before you notice. Take advantage of all the opportunities that you can get. Take initiative before it is too late. Engage in activities that you won’t have time for later. High school is a time to develop relationships that can last a lifetime. It is a time to develop as a person and help you to discover your true self. These next four years of your life will affect your future greatly, but you should enjoy it while you can, as time can disappear within a blink of an eye.

All this information may be frightening, but it's the realization that you will soon make once your high school life commences. Now go enjoy yourself, go on vacations, and sleep a lot, because once high school rolls around, you’ll want to go back to these precious times.

Sincerely,

Your loving Junior self