High school...

[Anita Cholaine]

I'm also going to high school next year, but I'm not very nervous. Most of my school partners will go the same school as me, so it won't be so different... The only worry I have is that it will be much more difficult, and that I'll have a lot to study...

I have never been a popular girl, and I dont have lots of friends, but the ones I have are fantastic... so I dont care about what others think about me, that's something you have to learn...

[tikeyas_mom]

my biggest piece of advise would be for you not to care what anyone eles thinks of you.. You are your own person, dont change for anyone.. dont let pure pressure take hold of you. and dont care about how you look because you are beautiful the way you are... trust me all these things will come up.. high school is a stressful place..

[Samantha Puppy]

One thing my father beat into my head from the time I was a little girl - and it sticks with me to this day - GUILT BY ASSOCIATION. It does not matter if you're hanging out with your friends and they're drinking or doing drugs and you're not - you're with them and you will get in trouble for it too. It doesn't matter if your friends are the ones who stole the car and came to pick you up for a joyride. You get in it, you'll be in trouble too.

Don't hang out with people that are going to put you into situations like that. Sure, those are extreme possibilities but even on a lesser level - you'll still get in trouble if it's something you're not supposed to be doing, even if you're not and they are.

Most of all, HAVE FUN!!! I loved high school and still miss some aspects of it to this day. It's where I began dating and fell in love with my now-husband. It's where I was into a whole bunch of stuff - band, theatre, clubs, etc. ENJOY YOURSELF - it truly can be the best time of your life if you play your cards right... why? How? Because the more you gain your parents trust (and keep it), the more freedom you will get - yet you don't have to deal with the stress of money and bills and everything that awaits you in the real world.

Have fun!

[buckner]

First off, congrats for entering high school!

I'll be a senior next year, and there are tons of things I wish I did when I was freshman. I wish I had joined a sports team or something similar. While I'm involved in tons of academic clubs and such, lots of colleges like to see you involved in sports!

Enjoy yourself, have fun, and stay out of trouble! Next year will be one of the best years of my life, excluding my difficult schedule (ughh, I think I'm going to die.. hehe), because I'm going to live it up. However, I'm going to stay true to myself, because I don't drink, smoke, etc. I suggest you do the same. Keep your grades up, even if you think "ah, it's freshman year, I can slack off". Nope! Doesn't work, you need to maintain it all the time! Get PLENTY of sleep every night if you can (it's been impossible for me my past 3 years because of my workload) so you can stay awake during classes and not get sick.

Most important, HAVE FUN!!! Don't stress out, it won't be bad at all! You'll have a blast, so be yourself!

[CamCamPup33]

I absolutely LOVE high school. IMO, its wayy better than middle school. You get a lot more freedom, and the teachers treat you as adults rather than kids.. That can be a bad thing though, if you don't keep up with your work and such, but it really does prepare you for life. You'll be able to tell which crowd not to hang out with when it comes to the drug & alcohol thing. In my school, i completely avoided those people, and in doing so, i didn't know much about what went on with the drugs and stuff.

High school isn't as bad as it seems.. It CAN be if you make the wrong decisions, that will lead it to be bad, but i guarentee you'll come home from school and see it wasn't half of what you expected. I was freaking out the 1st day of school not knowing whether or not it would be scary, and how everyone else always says it is, but it turned out to be just fine & im so excited to go back.

[MariaM]

Hmmm I'm kind of in the same situation as you. I am starting high school in less than a month, I am joing the volleyball team (trying out!!) and I have a brother going in grade 11.

I can sure say that I am super excited though. I mean, there are a few bad things. My best friend won't be there and I'll rarely see her. I'll miss my old town. (I have to take a bus to the cittty). The bus trips will be longgg for me, and in the winter it will get kind of hard with waking up extra early for walks lol. Also, I DON'T LIKE SCHOOL.

Lol but I can sure say I'm looking forward to NEW TEACHERS. I had a horrible time this past year, because of the most horrid teachers ever. So I am REALLY looking forward to NEW PEOPLE next year. I think I will really have lots of fun, I mean, I hate school but since I HAVE to go, I can't help myself getting excited for high school. If that makes any sense Lol.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

Hold true to yourself and your beliefs. I live in a skanky redneck town that is full of drinking and drugs, but I have never done anything not even smoked 1 cigarette. I have always been very against drugs and I'm proud to say I never fell to pear-pressure. I stayed away from parties that I knew were going to have drinking and drugs. Yes there were times I was offered drugs, it's not always possible to stay away from them, but you don't have to take them- I never did. I was always the "go to girl" my friends all knew if they were at a party and needed an out they could call anytime day or night and I'd be there for them.
Also try to keep a good relationship with your parents. I didn't (and still don't) have a good relationship with my mom. She was never there for me. My dad on the other hand was always there for me. He helped me with homework when I needed it. I could call him whenever and wherever and he'd pick me up if I needed him to. He was always there for my friends too, he went out late one night to change my friends flat tire when she needed help.

[barncat]

Hi.. I teach high school for "at risk" kids and the advice I'm giving you is the same as what I tell them. Repect yourself and treat others with the respect you'd like in return (even if they don't always seem as if they deserve it).

If you have respect for yourself, you will know what is right for you and when to ask questions about a situation of those you trust. Honor who you are as you grow and change and try to remember not everyone will be growing into maturity at the same rate.

Respect your need for fun and don't rush growing up...(trust me, it'll happen soon enough) High school students have all the emotions and temptations as adults, but much less time on the planet to get perspective. Always respect your process of growing and learning enough to take a deep breath and give yourself time to think before you decide on anything important.

We all need eah other. Develop a network of peope, adults and peers, that you respect and can trust and talk with them about what's going on in your life.

Oh, yes, give your best effort to your school work and if you don't understand, or if a teacher is hard to deal with (and some are!) TALK to them about it. Never stop asking questions that help you learn.

Good luck, but I doubt you'll need it. Bet you'll do fine.

[G.P.girl]

yeah i just finished 9th grade. i wasnt really excited to go to highschool but i loved it and i think it was really fun. sure theres more homework and responsibility, but there are dances and football games and cool sports. i think its great. good luck!