What piece of advice would you want your freshman self to have?
After four years of high school every senior has at least one piece of advice they would give themselves as a freshman if they could.
Students from the senior class of 2026 are offering their advice, tips, and tricks for Lakeland High School (LHS) freshman.
Freshman look up to us and can see us as almost older siblings. So, why not offer a helping hand to them like we wished someone would have done for us.
Whether it is simply where the best place is for lunch or how to deal with a certain freshman teacher.
Being a freshman can be overwhelming so a seniors help can mean tremendously more than a senior may think.
Coming into a new school can unlock a whole world of insecurities for freshmen. So, a senior Audrey Halgren offered some advice to help ease the anxiety,
“Don’t take anything too seriously and don’t care about what others think,”
Not only can freshman year be so much to take on but it can also be an influential time for some.
“Don’t worry about what other people think, stick to what you know and what you like, just don’t care about other peoples opinions, because eventually you all go separate ways,” Troy Paoli said.
Which can be a difficult situation where it can be hard to stick to your morals.
“Don’t change yourself for others,” Lilly Dotson, senior class president, said.
This is one of the biggest pieces of advice that we hope sticks with you throughout high school. This is because it is so easy to become someone else to be liked.
But, as you go through life as a high schooler it will become obvious that it is not necessary. As you get through high school you will realize that it is so worth it to be yourself instead of pretending to be what you are not. Do not waste time being someone else when you can just be yourself.
The right people will come your way when you are who you are.
Not only is the mental part of high school something to get used to but so is the involvement.
When you sit in the large gym, green and gold painted all over, with Principle Hoffman stressing how important getting involved is, it can be intimidating.
Not only are you stressed about now being in high school but now you are expected to join a sport or club of some sort.
As scary as it may seem, it is true that being involved is the best way to ease into high school. It gets you connected and now you know more people than you did when you walked in.
It can also make the halls less intimidating. There will be more familiar faces. More people to hang out with. Plus, it just fills your free time.
So, as Charlie Mattila said, “Be involved, there is no way you can’t be”.
Not only should you participate in sports but also support them.
“Go to the events, it’s the best part of high school,” Kiersten Drake said.
Not only is attending important, but so is making it worth the time.
“Make the most of it,” Raebel said.
Don’t sit in the back and not cheer. The parents section is the place for you then.
If you sit in the student section use it for what it’s meant for. To hype up your classmates, whether on the field, court, whatever.
“The most important thing is to have fun, it’s not that embarrassing,” Leeann Lohf said.
It is better to go all out, dress up for the thing and have the most spirit then sit there like a statue.
“Don’t think you’re too cool,” Lohf said.
One thing to remember when joining an extracurricular is one important thing.
“Your opportunities don’t define you,” Brock Raebel said.
This means that just because your gear isn’t the most high end, you don’t have a private trainer, or the best facility you can still be great.
Extracurricular activities can be vital to making the most of high school but so are the classes.
“Don’t take chemistry,” Charlee Friddle said.
With this it obviously is not a serious piece of advice. Chemistry is not the worst class but seniors are also here to tell you what to expect.
Chemistry is a taxing class. If science is something you enjoy it can be a breeze, but for others, it can be not so easy.
Going along with that, do your classwork. It is not that hard to turn things in on time.
“Take your grades seriously and don’t slack on homework,” Peyton Sardinha said.
This may seem obvious but switching from middle school to high school class work can be a bit of a culture shock.
Stay on top of school work and keep the grades high. It can seem hard at first but eventually it will get easier.
Last but not least, high school may not be the best all the time but it doesn’t last forever.
“It goes by in a flash,” Drake said.
With that, the friendships that are made along the way could last a lifetime.
“You’re going to lose friends but you’re also going to gain them,” Drake said.
People come and go throughout life, that’s just how it is. Some are for a season while others are there to stay.
But you also have the choice of who you keep in your inner circle so make the right ones.
