What most have never thought to end, has finally come to fruition, as two weeks ago marked the start of the final marking period of the school year.

With a dainty five weeks remaining and a great sigh of relief, it seems the perfect time to reflect on the impression freshman year has left upon me as well as how it differs from middle school.

To begin with, sleep: a concept I feel to have grown semi-immune to ever since the start of the year, although science disagrees and says I need more.  

Nevertheless, the most sleep I have gotten on a school night this year has probably been around five to six hours, and that’s on a good night. Comparing that to last year, as an eighth grader I definitely slept for a solid seven to eight hours.  

Oh, the good ol’ days.

Although I joke of sleep being arbitrary, it is absolutely necessary and if I had one thing to advise in-coming freshman, it would be to get as many hours shut-eye as you possibly can.

In addition, this year has showed me that failure is bound to happen and can be beneficial as it reveals the topics you need to get better at.

Especially geometry. I am continuously grateful that class doesn’t having an end-of-course exam.

Furthermore, if you get a bad grade, take a step back and understand that high school is a place to learn and learning comes with mistakes.

Veering into the social aspect of high school, I have learned that it is best to surround myself with people that I want to be like.

If you are constantly around others that are popularly known to be a bad influence, you will become a bad influence. If you surround yourself with people of good morals and proper conduct, you will become a person of good morals and proper conduct.

High school is the time to find out the person you want to become, and actions whilst you are a freshman will set a precedent for the next three years. I started art, soccer and journalism this year because I want to become a well-rounded person during my high school career.  

While transitioning from middle to high school involves social changes and preparations, there are also many changes to the overall routine of the day.

The biggest of these changes has been going from having all seven classes in one day, to an A-B block schedule with four classes a day. This was something to get used to as an hour and a half seemed quite excessive for one class period. But, now I can see it’s needed as most courses have loads of material to cover.

Even so, I still miss the structure of middle school, though I do like having an advisory as it gives you time to catch up on work or talk to friends you don’t have classes with.

From sleep to structure, freshman year is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what high school has to offer. The experience I have had as a ninth grader has further motivated me for what’s to come in the next three years.