# Tips on Starting High School?



## jaden_d (Jan 6, 2016)

Any tips on high school? It's because I'm going to start 9th grade 7 months from now, and I know high school is going to be worse than middle school. If only Ned made a high school guide...


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## Notaspy (Jun 24, 2014)

Well, what are you most concerned about? Class difficulty? Making friends and talking to peers? What supplies you need?


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## jaden_d (Jan 6, 2016)

Notaspy said:


> Well, what are you most concerned about? Class difficulty? Making friends and talking to peers? What supplies you need?


Maybe just about all of those.


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## Notaspy (Jun 24, 2014)

jaden_d said:


> Maybe just about all of those.


Classes might be easy or hard depending on your study habits. Making friends is always going to be the same, even if there are a bit more cliques around the hallways or whatever. As for supplies? Well, get whatever's necessary. Binders, books, the usual. If it's a special school like for the arts, maybe start out with non expensive things that go with the art you're choosing. It's more school with more walking around. And for PE? Make sure you come dressed and do enough so that you won't fail, it's not that serious of a class.


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## Toru Okada (May 10, 2011)

Best advice I can give is develop consistent study habits if you haven't already, do well in math, and realize that the people you go to high school with will pretty much become irrelevant after you graduate. Except your good friends, who you should try to keep in touch with f o r e v e r


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## angelfish (Feb 17, 2011)

I was super nervous about high school but ended up finding it was loads better than middle school, friends-wise. My academic advice is aim for balance between study and fun. Take Honors and a few AP classes if you can, and try do develop some good time management and study dedication skills, particularly because they will be more and more valuable throughout your life. But do leave yourself time for friends and adventures. Don't feel pressured to make high school be a rat race. Getting into some ridiculous tier school is not as important as being a fulfilled person. Enjoy yourself.


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## Mange (Jan 9, 2011)

Just be yourself. Don't be an asshole. Don't take anyone's shit. Basically the same guidelines if you're in prison or jail.


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## lithium394 (Sep 6, 2015)

Don't stress out too much in high school. Get a lot of sleep, don't worry about making friends too much because friendships will naturally occur. Study for your tests, do what you love, and try to have fun.


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## Catwalk (Aug 12, 2015)

You will *lose.* You will lose badly. _However_, it is not the end; there will be a sufficient amount of other losers to befriend - then; suddenly, it is fine.


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## Necrox (Jul 28, 2013)

If you're not fundamentally opposed to extracurriculars, find one that appeals. 95% of high school's goodness came from band/music writing for me.


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## SummerSen (Jan 16, 2015)

Definitely join a few clubs, especially ones for the long-haul where you can make close friends. Quality is better than quantity in essence. 

Some of the best ones are the clubs in which you stay late after school, go to places on the weekends, or go travelling, ex. Speech and Debate, Mock Trial, Model UN.


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## Istdet (Apr 9, 2015)

Either pay attention and stick through the system or find yourself a way to get through it faster if you find yourself falling asleep in class. I slept through most of my classes from 9th-11th grade, had enough and decided to find a better way of getting my diploma. Good luck!


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## bigstupidgrin (Sep 26, 2014)

On the academic front:

1. Take constant notes. They keep you awake, and might help you learn, especially if a teacher says something important than forgets to go back to it. 
2. Use sites like grammarly and citation machine to help your academic writing. If a teacher provides a style guide follow it. 
3. Effort is like a muscle, you need to work it to build it. If something is difficult, it's an opportunity to work through it. 
4. YouTube has a ton of educational videos if you need help in a specific subject. The site Common Core Sheets has good worksheets for practice and the answer keys along with it. 
5. ^ don't use cliches like "a ton" in writing :tongue:, your teachers will appreciate it. Smileys probably aren't good either. 
6. Wikipedia isn't a source, but many articles have a list of references in it .
7. If you really enjoy attending a teacher's class, try to take additional classes from them. If only for your enjoyment. 

Social/mental:

"Don't be a dick" covers most social issues. The rest depends on your own needs. Acting clubs can help you with public speaking. 

Personally, public school buses were horrible places when I was in school. If they still are (or are the kidzzz all on their phones?) work to get alternative transportation when you can. 

Don't get too destroyed by high school relationships/friendships. Most of the time both of those are learning experiences more than anything else. 

Find help if you need it. Even if it's a trusted friend to talk to. 

Everything I left out is probably in this video: 






Wonder if that guy did anything else?


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## PowerShell (Feb 3, 2013)

Figure out some careers you want to do and then prepare yourself for them with whatever classes your high school offers or whatever you can learn online. Also, take advantage of any youth apprenticeship or Co-op programs available to get work experience. This can get your career started early and either get you a good job out of high school or get you the 3-5 years of experience they request with a college degree. This means you can be a step above entry level when coming out of college. You might also find a good employer like I did and get a substantial amount of your college paid for.


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## Graveyard (Oct 23, 2015)

Don't take highschool drama too seriously. It will seem to be the end of the world for you, but it really isn't. Almost all of what you do will be irrelevant, so enjoy yourself while you're at it. 

And try to do well in the academic department. ;P


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## PowerShell (Feb 3, 2013)

Graveyard said:


> Don't take highschool drama too seriously. It will seem to be the end of the world for you, but it really isn't. Almost all of what you do will be irrelevant, so enjoy yourself while you're at it.
> 
> And try to do well in the academic department. ;P


Not to mention the cliques and all that crap fade away after high school. Some people I actively didn't get along with in high school, I get along with perfectly fine after.


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## Graveyard (Oct 23, 2015)

PowerShell said:


> Not to mention the cliques and all that crap fade away after high school. Some people I actively didn't get along with in high school, I get along with perfectly fine after.


Indeed! People get carried away by the highschool stereotypes too easily, so don't judge them based on that. They might as well be human!


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## 95134hks (Dec 20, 2015)

jaden_d said:


> Any tips on high school? It's because I'm going to start 9th grade 7 months from now, and I know high school is going to be worse than middle school. If only Ned made a high school guide...


You still have a ways to go. 7 months is a while. For now, focus on your final semester of middle school (8th Grade) and learn as much as you can now. Go to the library and the local bookstore, and/or get an electronic book device if you prefer those, and do some outside reading now and for the next 7 months.

The math process in high school (9th thru 12th) starts with Algebra (which is an Arabic word for math science which developed during the Arab Conquest of Spain and the height of Arab empire in the Middle East, North Africa, and Spain). If you can get a book on Algebra and read it before 9th Grade that will help you. After Algebra, then geometry follows, then analytic geometry (first invented by Rene Descartes whose name is used for the Cartesian Plane), trigonometry, and Calculus (invented by Sir Isaac Newton).

Hopefully you will become very good at math. Math opens other doors to science and to business. If you can find a book that talks about all that then this would help you if you read it between now and then.

The science process in 9th Grade usually begins with a lab class which focuses on physics and chemistry. Then biology follows, and afterwards chemistry, and finally physics. If you can find a book that surveys them all, that would be great reading for your summer.

History is a great topic, and world history is the best starting point. World history begins with civilization, which began rather independently as far as we can tell looking back, starting in Babylonia (between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers), and influencing Egypt and Greece. Around the time that the Babylonians, Egyptians, and Hittites had already established major empires in Mesopotamia, the Nile Valley, and what is now called Turkey (although they were not Turks), there was a small group of Babylonians who moved out of there and into the Levant and Egypt. These were the ancestors of modern Jews and Israelis (Jews scattered among the world and Israelis being repatriated to modern Israel). It is good to know this ancient history because it influences a lot of modern current events.

India, China, and Meso America both developed soon after Babylonia, Egypt, and Greece as well.

All this world history is nice to know. To know it you need to read about it.

Besides reading all summer, get some exercise. Learn how to do push ups, pull ups, sit ups, and start jogging. You can start jogging by running around your block as a slow trotting speed that lets you keep going. The difference between jogging and sprinting is that jogging is a pace you can follow for hours whereas sprinting is going to wear you out in a minute or less. Learn to jog then, and jog for at least 20 minutes at a time, running laps around your block, and end your jogs with a 15 second sprint.

All that will get you ready for high school next year.

You have 7 months to get ready for it.


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## 95134hks (Dec 20, 2015)

PowerShell said:


> Figure out some careers you want to do and then prepare yourself for them with whatever classes your high school offers or whatever you can learn online. Also, take advantage of any youth apprenticeship or Co-op programs available to get work experience. This can get your career started early and either get you a good job out of high school or get you the 3-5 years of experience they request with a college degree. This means you can be a step above entry level when coming out of college. You might also find a good employer like I did and get a substantial amount of your college paid for.


That's hard enough to do in college let alone in high school.

What you do need to decide in high school however is what college/university to attend, and whether to apply to a military/naval academy.

These are all decisions you will need to make during your Junior Year in high school, so now is a good time to think about the alternatives, but DO NOT get hung up about a decision too soon.

Find out what you are good at -- math or biology or chemistry or physics or business -- and try to get good grades and learn about these topics as much as you can.


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## 95134hks (Dec 20, 2015)

bigstupidgrin said:


> On the academic front:
> 
> 1. Take constant notes. They keep you awake, and might help you learn, especially if a teacher says something important than forgets to go back to it.
> 2. Use sites like grammarly and citation machine to help your academic writing. If a teacher provides a style guide follow it.
> ...


Note-taking is the most important thing you will learn in school and will be critical in college and important for the rest of your life in your jobs, if they are office or lab jobs, and in your training for jobs, no matter what your jobs are.


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