Dear Freshmeat Freshman Joelle,

So you’re in high school now, huh? Must be pretty exciting for you… or nerve-wracking, I don’t know how you feel about it at the moment.

Having already completed 3 whole school years and starting my fourth and final year of high school, I am writing to you to let you know what to expect for this upcoming year and give you some general tips on how to succeed. So, well, here we go.

First things first, always remember what you are going to school for. I don’t know what your own personal reasons for going to school are, but I want to make sure that you remember that you are there to get an education. That, I believe, should be obvious and should always be your top reason. You are there to fill your brain with knowledge and build upon what you already know. I know that you’ll sometimes have to learn about some seemingly irrelevant and useless stuff, but what should ultimately be your goal is to expand your perspective of the world around you through your education. By constantly learning new things, you are opening your eyes wider and wider and turning your head further and further to get a better look of the world that surrounds you.

Secondly, there will also be moments in your academic career where you feel like you have hit some type of bottom. Maybe not rock bottom, but there may be moments where you feel iffy about whether or not you are proficient enough in the things you are learning in class and/or feel terrible about your grades in general. Those bottoms are simply a part of the way up your path to success. This path is not meant to be one completely straight, linear line at all. There will be times where you feel you don’t 100% completely understand something or you may be disappointed with the grades you receive. When that happens, be willing to use the resources available to you, whether it is your teacher, your peers, or other sources. No cheating, of course. But do not ever let your failures define you; instead, use them to learn how to not make the mistakes that you made again, and also use them to create new objectives for yourself. When you make those new objectives, do your best to meet actually them, otherwise you will find yourself continuing to follow your same old habits and make the same mistakes.

And lastly, in regards to your social life, yes, there will probably be moments where you feel extra awkward. Firstly, however, I just wanna say that at least 50% of the awkwardness you feel is all in your head. Do your best to ward off those feelings of awkwardness. Since you will be among groups of people who have known each other since elementary, I know it might feel kinda lonely not having your own group of people to hang out with right off the bat. And I know you’re a bit quiet and reserved in nature, but you will meet people. In fact, there may just be some people who introduce themselves to you first. Talk to them. It doesn’t matter if you lead the conversation yourself. Be comfortable with who you are as a person and present yourself to people the way you’d want to be presented, even if that means stepping out of your comfort zone. I am not saying to completely change who you are or to be fake, but build upon your own personality and character through your social interactions. And don't lie about your interests to impress other people because that in itself is not cool.

The one ultimate thing you should keep in mind is that the things that happen in your life happen for a reason. The people that are placed and the occurrences that take place in your life are either a blessing or a lesson. So whatever happens in your high school life, let it happen. It is all about progress and the continuous strive towards your goals. It is a walk through life, and if you happen to fall during that walk, just pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and continue walking. You can do this.

Sincerely,

Your Senior-Self