For freshman Matt Logan, high school has meant trading the constant movement of eight classes a day in middle school for longer stretches in the classroom, along with entering a new world of opportunities. Three months into the school year, he has joined clubs, taken on new activities, and learned to keep track of assignments with a calendar, finding that success in high school comes down to one thing: time management.
From struggling to study challenging material to finding community in clubs and sports, freshmen are discovering how to balance their academic and social lives while becoming more involved in school.
The transition has pushed freshmen to become more independent, both socially and academically, freshman Margot Kellermann said. With a heavier workload and less time to spend on individual assignments, freshmen have to prioritize tasks and focus on productivity, Kellermann said. Additionally, students are increasingly responsible for finding materials to study, rather than being given a study guide by a teacher, Kellermann explained.
“I definitely changed my priorities and became more concentrated on the specific tasks I was doing,” Kellermann said. “I might have to say no to hanging out with friends so that I can prioritize studying.”
The opportunities that high school offers require having an organized schedule, freshman Gia Poonja said. Her first season of golf forced her to prioritize homework on top of practice and clubs. Sports in high school are a lot more competitive, and require more dedication of time, freshman Mariia Savytska added.
“In middle school, we didn’t train as hard as we do in high school,” Savytska said. “It’s more commitment because you’re not allowed to skip as much, and practices are longer than they were before.”
Unlike middle school, where students often spend years with the same classmates, high school introduces freshmen to different faces, which was a transition that took getting used to, freshman Ruby Isaac said.
“Having different people in each period was uncomfortable at first because I was used to having the same people in all my classes,” Isaac said. “But as the school year is going on, I think I’m going to like it more and more because I’m meeting so many people and making so many new friends.”
Freshmen are also taking advantage of the newly available resources, from career-focused classes like Intro to Business to academic support through the Titan Learning Center, freshman George Agustin said.
“I would tell future freshmen to take it seriously,” Agustin said. “Don’t waste opportunities, there’s so many.”
Making the most of high school has meant prioritizing responsibilities, even on days when finding motivation can be difficult, Logan said.
“It’s all time management,” Logan said. “Sometimes I go home and I don’t feel like doing anything. But, I know I have to get work done in order to pursue my interests.”
