A fresh batch of ninth graders is on campus and this beginning of a new stage in students’ lives has been described as a time when the cognitive, emotional, and physical are all coming together. But when it comes to the realities of high school, things are often different from what many students expect.

“I thought that I would have about ten minutes between classes, and because of that I would be going to my locker in between periods, but to this day I have never been to my locker and passing period is six minutes,” sophomore Shivani Desai said. “What surprised me about high school is that while the stress and workload is high, because of A and B days, it becomes a lot easier to complete and prioritize homework.”

High school can take a while to adapt to as it has been reported that freshmen nationwide have the lowest grade point average, the most missed classes, the majority of failing grades, and more misbehavior referrals than any other high school grade level.

“Coming into high school I was really nervous, I thought that high school was going to be a different unfriendly environment,” sophomore Blair Ma said. “This was not the case, Liberty has a very welcoming community and a very easy campus layout to learn.”

Although the campus has activities to orientate incoming freshman, it can be hard for some rising freshmen to prepare for everything.

“What surprised me the most about high school was how long the class period were and how much time you were given to do your work,” sophomore Jamal Jabbar said. “I adapted to high school by planning out what homework to do on what days depending on A or B days.”

Adjusting from middle school to high school can be a challenge for some students, but Desai says balance is key.

“I adapted by making new friends and being a little more open to new things,” Desai said. “Some advice I would give to incoming freshmen is that there are going to be late and long nights, but sleep, eating, and having fun is important in life too.”