Freshman year can be a hectic time. For me, freshman year was a new start and my time to find where I fit in. The thrill that comes with growing up, however, does not come without the fear factor.

All I ever imagined before I made it to high school was being a track star, having more friends and the excitement from fun after-school activities. As it turned out, I had the same friends that I had before, I tried out for soccer instead of track and my after school fun consisted of having the house to myself for a few hours. Nothing I’d been told by my older friends held any truth.

My first day in high school made me want to go back to middle school. The upperclassmen picked on me and sent me in the wrong direction on purpose. I got lost a lot and the stairs were horrid. Pep rallies became a nightmare; they were loud and gave me headaches, especially when the upperclassmen booed the freshmen. The noise caused the ground to shake and made me feel like freshmen were seen as vermin running around that could never be rid of. In the hallways, upperclassmen would point at me and my friends and laugh or obnoxiously tell everyone that we were “fish” swimming in deep waters.

I hated every last minute of school until I learned to just go along with it.Once I learned where my classes were, I didn’t need a map. As intimidating as that was, I got used to it. I found new friends my age and even found upperclassmen who were nice and willing to take me under their wings. They would tell me how things worked and when it was a good time to do certain things. They made sure I knew the rules and always scolded me if I was in the wrong.

Don’t let your fears become you. Being in a new school with so much more than you are used to isn’t an ideal situation, but once you get into the groove of things, it gets easier. Find someone that you will see in the hallways every day between classes and walk with them. Come out of your shell, if you have one, and talk to people. Good friends are hard to come by, but if you talk to a stranger and just say “hello” you let others know that you are friendly. Find the spirit in pep rallies and ignore the booing. In two years, you will be booing freshmen as well. Respect your teachers and turn in your homework, wear your ID around your neck and if you happen to run into trouble, don’t argue until you get to your principal or ap

In the years to come, I wish you luck. Freshman year will fly, or at least it did for me. Enjoy high school while it lasts and remember: friends are somewhat crucial. Study buddies, homework helpers and friends to eat lunch with will make the year a lot easier. Once you get into the hang of things, you will have fun. These past four years have been amazing with a few down moments, but when it ends you will definitely regret not doing things you wanted to.