Hi freshmen! As summer comes to an end and the new school year begins, your favorite Tatler sophomores (us!) have some advice to kick off the school year. After all, we were in your shoes last year! Enjoy some of our wisdom and have a fantastic first year of high school.

Academics

• PRIMING: Use the “priming” technique to absorb the information you learn in class infinitely more deeply and thoroughly. Priming is when you expose yourself to the material you’ll learn in class before you see it in class. For example, if I’m going to be learning about vectors in math class, then I might watch a Khan Academy or Organic Chemistry Tutor video on vectors and do a few practice problems That way, when I encounter the topic in class, I’m already familiar with some of the concepts and can ask deeper questions to develop a more solid understanding earlier on. 

• • LIBRARY: The library is an extremely useful place to get work done and find resources. Explore what spaces suit your needs, and if you have any questions, the librarians are always happy to help.
    • The downstairs section of the library is normally full of people talking, so it’s probably not the best place to seriously get work done. Instead, use the silent reading room if you want to lock in during your free time and not get distracted.
    • Technically, you’re allowed to use the upper floor of the library, so DON’T let the upperclassmen kick you out! As long as you’re not too loud, most people won’t mind. 
    • The library has lots of craft supplies and multiple printers. Let a librarian know if you’d like to print something in color and they’ll print it for you.
  • Early Dismissals/Absences: If you’re missing school for an event (for example, a soccer game), make sure you bring your laptop for completing work during your downtime. Otherwise, you’ll be SWAMPED when you get back to school. Almost all early dismissals (EDs) happen on the same day in the A-B schedule (for example, you might skip 5-6 consecutive bio classes for a school sports meet), so make sure you follow up with your teachers and catch up on all your classwork and tests. 
  • Don’t Procrastinate: If you know you have a test next week, make sure that you start at least looking at the material the week before because you tend to have multiple tests on the same week, so you’ll have more time to study for the other one. Or even with projects: Do them early before weeks you know you’ll be busy so you’ll already be done by then.

• Service Learning and Outdoor Trips: Don’t leave your service learning hours and outdoor trip until the last possible moment! The summer between junior and senior year is known to be busier, so waiting until then to meet your graduation requirements can be stressful. (otherwise you’ll end up like jeremiah fischer)

Social

• Events: Go to as many events as you can! Suggestions: Tailgates, performances, movie nights, dances.
• People: In a lot of media (like books and movies) people act like who you talk to on the first day of school are going to be the people you hang out with the rest of the year. Just hang out with different people and don’t constrain yourself to a few. Talk to as many people as possible  
• Friendships: At the start of the year, you might feel like you won’t be able to make friends, but at the end of the year you won’t believe you ever felt that way. 
• Clubs: Spend ACT periods going to clubs instead of always studying. Clubs are a way to explore interests or meet people with similar hobbies or people outside of your grade.
• Acronyms: AAC for the athletic center, WCC for the cafeteria, US for Upper School, AG for Allen Gates.

Extracurriculars

• Practice: Don’t miss practices or rehearsals, otherwise you’ll have a lot to catch up on! (Theater specific: You might not end up in certain scenes). Also not missing practice shows your coach that you’re committed to the team.
• Extracurriculars: Do extracurriculars because you can meet different people outside of your grade. Find extracurriculars you genuinely love, not just what you think will look good on college applications. Try different interests during your freshmen year, and don’t be limited by what your friends are doing.
  • Do activities that you find meaningful! Also, consider doing service. 
  • You don’t have to keep doing it if you don’t like it!
• Join Tatler (or at least guest write for your favorite sophomores – us)!