What I Wish My Freshman Self Knew
by Abby St. Claire
- Develop a good work ethic
Go home and do your homework. Study for the test. Show the teachers that you have the will to work hard. When you apply for colleges, you’ll be glad that you worked as hard as you did. That being said, do not beat yourself up when you don’t perform as well as you would have liked. It is okay to mess up, so be kind to yourself.
- Venture out of your “friend group” or clique”
It’s easy to stay confined with one group of people, but you would be surprised of what the other people around you have to offer. Don’t be quick to judge, and if you want to spend time with someone, just ask them, don’t wait for them to ask you.
- Appreciate your parents
High school goes by extremely fast, and this is the last time in your life where you will be with them for an extended period of time. No matter how much they annoy or disagree with you, they do a lot for you and you will miss them and the comfort of home a lot once you are away at university.
- Be genuine
During this period of your life, it’s going to be difficult to find other people who will be honest and genuine with you. Be gentle but always tell the truth. Also, never pretend to be someone you’re not. If you don’t like yoga pants and going to parties, don’t act like you do to impress anybody.
- Offer grace to the people around you
Its easy to internalize the things that people do or say, but just remember that everyone has bad days. Knowthat a lot of times people regret the bad things that they do, so forgive the people close to you.
- Be grateful
LHS is a excellent school with many greatprograms and teachers, and we don’t know how lucky we are to live in this area. Teachers really do want the best for you even when it doesn’t seem like it. Once you leave this area, you will realize how good you have it.
- Stop searching for things to happen
Let things happen naturally. If you are looking for happiness, or a relationship, or anything, chances are it won’t come to you when you are intensely focused on it. You would be surprised what happens when you are able to let go of those things. There will always be someone who is more popular, prettier, funnier, or smarter than you are. Beauty isn’t a competition, and you won’t get anywhere if you keep desiring to be where someone else is.
- Things get easier, but they also get harder
You aren’t going to have a period of your life where everything is going well. You will always be struggling with one thing or another. That being said, certain troubles do go away, and you learn how to handle others. Sometimes all of the stress is in the build up and the result isn’t as horrible as you were expecting.
- Cherish your time
It is natural to want to be in the next stage of your life, but don’t make it your first priority. Sure, there are some things about high school that aren’t ideal, but you will find things about adulthood that aren’t ideal either. Embrace being young, and embrace being spontaneous. Once you get older, everything becomes more and more scheduled out. Enjoy the fact that you aren’t quite there yet.
- After four years, you won’t have to see these people ever again
“You do you” rings very true. It doesn’t do any good to worry about what you are doing and how it pleases others. Try something new if you are truly interested in it. Eat new food, wear those new shoes, you never know what you might end up enjoying — life can get fairly boring so switch it up. People will call you stupid, strange, mean, call names, spread lies, but soon, you will realize that those things are petty and not worth your time, then you will move on.
My Senior Story
by Jasmine Turner
As I look back on my prom pictures, as my graduation invitations have been sent out, I cannot help but to reminisce on the past four years I have spent at Libertyville High School. The walls of this building have seen my tears, my achievements, my worst times and my best times. I have learned a lot in these four years. While I don’t regret anything that I have done in high school, I do wish I knew a few things when I was a freshman.
One of those things I wish I had known was to not stand in a large group in the middle of the hallways. At the time, I did not realize how annoying this truly was. I failed to think that there were actual students trying to get to their classes and the mass of people that I was a part of was not only slowing down the flow of traffic, but was also obnoxious and loud. I wish I knew my freshman year to not stand in the hallways in a giant group of people.
I also wish I knew how much my grades mattered my freshman year. I was always told in middle school to take it easy my freshman year because I needed time to adjust; this was probably the worst advice. I wish I would have taken challenging classes to lay a strong foundation for my GPA. Ending freshman year with a strong GPA would have come in handy later in my high school career when I took higher-level classes that potentially hurt my GPA. I wish I would have taken a balance of honors courses and easier classes my freshman year.
The last piece of advice I would have given my freshman self was to not skip school because I have the “sniffles” or I’m “tired.” Making up the work that you missed will be more annoying than a mild headache at school. Missing a day of school will also mean that you need to catch up on the things you learned in class. Being behind is not only frustrating but also time-consuming. I wish I would have gone to school most of the days that I missed.
Every year I look back and think “Wow, how could I be so stupid last year? If only I would have known what I know now.” Four years ago I was just another unknowing, naive freshman. Had I understood these things a few years ago, I could have avoided quite a bit of stress, embarrassment, and time. I can only hope that the things I have learned from experience will help you out in your years to come at Libertyville High School and help you not to look like a freshman.
I remember as if it was yesterday: frantically picking out my outfit for the first day of school and desperately trying to finish my procrastinated summer reading book. It’s crazy to think that my freshman year is almost over. Before I started my freshman year and walked through the bustling hallways filled with a range of different ages, personalities, and interests, there are a few things I wish I would have known.
From A Freshman
by Lola Akinlade
- Stay Open
I’ve learned it’s important to open your mind and not judge others. Do not try and conform to a certain group or dismiss a different group. I’ve met so many amazing people, who I would not generally hang out with without opening myself up. Most people haven’t discovered who they are when they’re freshmen, or even older. So, it’s important to try new things and stay open. Try and figure where your passion is. Join clubs or try new sports that you may not have necessarily been good at in middle school. Freshman year is a clean slate, and is the best year to experience new things.
- Take Advantage of Resources
There are several new resources at the high school that students should take advantage of, like the Write Place. This resource area helps students substantially with any type of writing assignment. The high school really wants students to flourish. Teachers are not your enemies; they are there to help you, and it’s important to actually ask them for help.
- Don’t Stress
Don’t stress, especially about grades. Yes, they do matter, but they are NOT everything. Finals stress out so many people, but they shouldn’t. If you are a student with a good work ethic all throughout the semester, one test should not determine your grade. Make sure to be putting in effort all throughout the semester. Put more time into your passions, and try to excel in what you’re really good at. Colleges look at more than just your grades, and they will notice if you transcend in your passions along with your grades, so develop a good work ethic and keep pushing on.
- Stay True to Yourself
As cliche as it sounds, it’s really important to keep it in mind. People in high school are going to be doing things that you may not necessarily do, and it’s important to go with your gut. Don’t focus on things that others are doing. Surround yourself with positive people, and their positive energy should resonate within you. “You are only going to be as good as the people you surround yourself with, so be brave enough to let go of those who keep weighing you down,” as said on TheThingsWeSay.com.
- Link Crew May Be Boring, but it’s Beneficial
Link Crew was interesting, to say the least. Many freshman would describe it as painful and pointless. It seems pointless now, but I wish I realized that its aid in addressing the difficult changes from middle school to high school was valuable and crucial information that may help you to succeed for the rest of your high school years. I wish I hadn’t dismissed it so quickly. As a fellow freshman on Drops of Ink, Anna DeMartini, said, Link Crew “answers the questions people are too afraid to ask.”
