ADVICE: Freshman year is scary but we’re here to help! After all, freshmen are humans too.
By: Leilani Orozco, Staff Writer
Becoming a freshman can go one of two ways. “ Wow! Being a freshman is great!” or “Why, oh why would this happen to me!” Either way, you are bound to be clueless at some point. Freshmen, you have probably heard the phrase“ these next four years can be the best or worst of your life,” by now. Or maybe it’s the first time you’ve heard this phrase. Either way, we assume you’d want these years to be the best years of your life or at least enjoyable. So here’s some advice from the poly spotlight seniors to you.
1. Get involved in what you want to!
It’s easy to feel like you have to do what everyone else is doing. Following trends or joining certain clubs to be cool are very noticeable types of social pressure, but upon inspection, they are full of baloney. Getting involved in what you like and want to do will pay off far more than what everyone else is doing. We guarantee you that by doing what you want, you will feel far happier than by following trends. It will make you feel like you belong somewhere, and like you have a spot in this otherwise confusing landscape we call high school. Even in the midst of this 2020 pandemic, there are plenty of club activities that can happen virtually, and I’m sure at least one club will be of interest. So go out there and join one!
2. Don’t be afraid to try new things.
If you ever want to try something but you’re not sure if you will enjoy it or make the team, try it anyway! Trying out something new is what high school secretly encourages. You can discover what you love from trying new things or maybe find that it just wasn’t for you. Either way, trying something new will eliminate the possibility of regret. Just ask your parents or some of us, seniors. There are plenty of things we wish we could have done when we had the chance! So, like the famous Nike catchphrase: Just Do It! The Poly community is cheering you on!
3. Don’t be afraid of losing friends, you’ll gain some too!
It’s scary to think that the friends you enter high school with are most likely not going to be the friends you leave with. But guess what? That’s okay! If you get involved with new things, it’s common to become distant with your friends from middle school. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad friend! Many times friends from middle school end up finding interest in different clubs/sports to you, and even if you lose friends you’ll gain some too! Don’t be afraid to change things up with some new friends. Even if you make new friends, it doesn’t always mean you lose some. Friendships are going to be tested in high school, but in the end, you will know who your true friends are.
4. Talk to your teachers!
Adults will constantly remind you that you should talk to your teachers, and even though they might sound like a broken record there is a lot of truth in what they say. Talking to your teachers helps build trust and comfort in a class. When you don’t understand something you should ask them for help. They are professionals, so chances are they’ll know how to help you or they will know of someone that can help you. The things you might get stuck on in class are probably things other students struggled with as well. And besides, the teachers here at Poly are great! Trust us!
5. Have Fun!
It’s easy to get caught up in the pressures of being a good student but don’t forget to take a breather every once in a while. Perhaps this year you won’t be able to go to any school dances or football games, but as soon as those things are available again go to them if you can! As boring as you might think they are you won’t know until you go to one. You only have four years to go to football games with your friends, or dance with them at a school dance. Whatever Poly events there are, if you can go to them you should go. Seniors in 2021 will tell you countless tales of the dances they wish they could have gone to before the pandemic hit. Many of them wish they had a chance to go. Even if you end up not going to any school events don’t forget to have fun. Go out to the plaza on Friday nights with your friends, or to the cinema, or just hang out. Create memories you can cherish once you have moved on, you have four years to do so, so why not make the most of them?