Nuggets of ​​Wisdom for My Freshman Self

Coming into freshman year was terrifying for me as a 9th grader. Thoughts ran through my head that this milestone of my life was a farewell to my carefree adolescence, and everything moving forward was a matter of constant work in preparation for what would define my future. My two older sisters made this worry no better, telling me that now, everything moving forward truly mattered. In my years as a middle schooler, while my sisters were in high school, I would watch them stay up long nights preparing for tests, having papers spread across the table, and being in a consistent state of stress over school work. Given the unspoken academic expectations in our relationship, I had no doubt that my freshman year would be that defining experience. 

This became my mindset when entering freshman year, naturally feeling overworked mentally and anxious about doing poorly before even delving into the rigors of classes. Consequently, this mentality hindered my growth in my first year of high school. A lot of times, I was too hard on myself and should have let myself be okay with mistakes and taken more risks to explore possible passions. I let these thoughts get to my head, making the work more difficult than it seemed. It wasn’t until early sophomore year that I could find comfort in my education and social life and find what worked best for me.  

As a freshman, I know everything is new and thrilling. You love your peers and teachers and the new opportunities high school offers, but it can be easy to forget about valuing yourself.  Here are some things that I wish I could have warranted for my freshman self. To current freshmen and incomers, I suggest taking what I say as advice. This isn’t to serve as an instructional guide, but instead, I aim to offer perspective. 

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. A silly notion of mine during freshman year was that asking for help would give the impression that I was incompetent. Having that new sense of independence people always talk about when entering high school meant to me that I should be able to handle everything on my own, and if I couldn't, there must be something wrong with me. I was also generally a nervous, overly self-assured person, in turn exasperating my reluctance to ask for help. Well, I'm here to tell you, freshman Kailyn, you couldn't be more wrong. What eventually was able to get me through so much school turmoil and help me truly understand the material was reaching out to teachers for help. Call it a cliché–but there truly is no such thing as a dumb question regarding improving your knowledge. Use. The. Tools. Available. To. You. Use the tools available to you!

Pursue your passions. Probably the most important piece of wisdom I have is to pursue what you are passionate about. During freshman year, I got so caught up in academics I forgot that I had other interests that I could have been pursuing. It was also all so new to me and pretty overwhelming; I didn’t quite know what to do. I did some activities I had previously been involved in but ultimately stayed close to what I knew and never allowed myself to venture. If you are interested in soccer? Do it. Interested in chess? Do it. The school doesn't offer what you want? Propose it. Don't let fear or doubt stop you from doing something that you're interested in.

Be more financially conscious. I must admit, one of the biggest things I looked forward to entering freshman year was being able to go out for lunch. Little did I know this privilege would be hurting my pockets excruciatingly. I was oblivious to the extent of my expenditures until my cumulative tab began to reveal itself over the course of the months, and well…the sum was concerning. I soon realized I had to be more mindful of my spending if I wanted to be able to save money. I started tracking my expenses and budgeting to ensure I stayed within my means. I can, however, somewhat sympathize with my freshman self; we are located in a consumer-driven labyrinth, perpetually enticed by the multitude of Starbucks that taunt the school. I gave in to its lure and fell into its trap, only learning that self-control is key to liberation. This is a little astray from what I talked about at the beginning of the article, but the biggest takeaway here is learning to have self-control in the face of temptations (Save your money!)  

As I look back on these experiences, I’m most grateful for the self-discovery journey that took place during all of these experiences. These are just a few of the things that I wish I could have known when entering high school; to cover everything would be too overwhelming. 

And for a direct message to my dear freshman self: As you embark on this upcoming chapter, know that the challenges you face today will mold you into a more confident and stronger you. Now, as a junior, my future rests on the judgments I make and the wisdom I glean from my past. Looks like Junior Me has left quite a trail of questionable decisions for Senior Me to ponder. Till next year!