Hauppauge High School is like a giant melting pot. There’s so many different kinds of people, personalities, things to explore, clubs and events to participate in, and interesting classes where learning is boundless. However, it can certainly feel like an overwhelming place at times and some people might find it hard to do well in all aspects of high school, because it can be challenging. Therefore, as a senior about to graduate, here are a few steps for how to succeed in high school.

First and foremost, high school is pretty much the last step before going out into the real world. Which means, in high school, you’re gonna have to do things at times that you might not be comfortable with. And one of the most important things is putting yourself out there, being you, and meeting new people. When I started high school, there were certainly some people I knew and recognized from middle school in the grades above me, however, I didn’t know a majority of the student population at the time. So probably a week into the start of my freshman year, I literally just started going up to random people and saying “I like your shirt”. Now I never intended for this to become a big thing in school, however, once I began to say it and people began saying back to me, I knew that I had found a really great way to make friends with random people who I didn’t even know in school. And I did and because of the different catchphrases I have used over the years like you’re inspiring, good morning, galvanizing, bedazzling, and many other unique words and phrases, many of the relationships were long-lasting and led to awesome memories with many people. So yes, making friends and putting yourself out there is certainly something beneficial and will help make you stand out in the crowd.

Another important thing is time management, which many of us teenagers don’t do great at. This is another excellent example of a skill that is more than necessary in the real world. In high school, just like in real life, one day can flow into the next without us even realizing it. For example, sometimes I get home from school and I feel like relaxing and procrastinating for a few hours and by the time I actually start doing homework and other assignments, it’s like 8:00 at night. Typically as  a result of this, I’m still doing work at 11 at night and I end up going to sleep closer to midnight, which certainly contributes to the tiredness I feel from waking up at 5:55 AM for school the next day. This laziness in the morning because of staying up late on a school night in turn has caused me to be late for the bus in the morning. So as you can see, it is extremely important to plan ahead and manage time wisely, because it will definitely make your life related to high school and life in general much more organized and less last-minute.

Next, to succeed in high school in all aspects, you’re gonna have to get involved in some extracurricular activity somehow and some way. If you just go to school to go to your scheduled classes from 7:30-2:15 every day, it’s gonna get very boring and monotonous very quickly. Going to school for the required amount of time is not what makes high school fun at all and despite the things you learn in your classes, you won’t learn a lot if you just do that. For example, towards the beginning of my freshman year, I really wasn’t involved in much of anything after school, and kinda just went home for probably the first month and a half of high school. However, I started partaking in all of these extracurricular activities like Drama Club and the musical, Vocal Jazz, Best Buddies, History Club, and the Class of 2021. Through all of these activities I met so many new people, reconnected with old ones, learned new songs, dances, techniques, lessons and it just gave me so many wonderful memories that I will probably cherish for the rest of my life and will always carry with me in the real world and will help you socially and emotionally in high school as well. 

Hopefully, these few tips and pieces of advice helped you if you are a rising freshman about to enter high school, or if you’re maybe struggling in general with the various pressures of high school, which is extremely common. Wherever you are in your high school journey, know you really can have the time of your life if you take this advice and other positive advice and tips as well. Most importantly, be yourself and show it to everyone and you won’t regret anything. I sure don’t. Stay Inspiring Hauppauge!!!