30 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting High School

1. It is NOTHING like the movies. 
2. Being super involved in sports isn't everything.
3. If you want to be valedictorian, you need to decide 1st term of freshman year.
4. You need a LOT less school supplies than you think you do. 
5. Time flies A LOT faster than you think it will.
6. Failing a class isn't the end of the world.
7. If you don't go on a lot of dates, IT IS NOT THE END OF THE WORLD. 
8. Find something that you love and stick with it.
9. Don't be afraid to make new friends or lose old ones. 
10. DO NOT MISS CLASS. 1 hour of missed class = 2 hours trying to catch up.
11. If you have a hard time remembering your locker combination, write it in permanent marker on your hand. Keep it there until you can remember it. 
12. Having a good teacher is better than having an easy teacher.
13. Only rent a locker if you need one. I ended up spending $10 to rent a locker last year and never used it. 
14. Don't use binders. They are heavy and take up a lot of space. Opt for a notebook and a folder instead.
15. There is no one on this earth that is you-er than you!
16. Don't allow your friends to tell you who you are.
17. Extra credit is never optional. Trust me. You will be thankful that you did the extra credit at the end of the term. 
18. If you don't like a teacher, SWITCH OUT OF THEIR CLASS.
19. Being a part of extracurricular clubs and activities looks just as good on a college application as a bunch of honors and AP classes.
20. Find a spot in the school where you and your friends can congregate. 
21. Get your required classes out of the way as soon as you can.
22. To make a paper longer, change the font size of all the periods to 14px. It will make a noticeable difference in the length of your paper.
23. It's important to make yourself proud before you try and make anyone else proud
24. If you are allowed to choose the topic of an essay, choose something that infuriates you. It will be easier to fill up pages over something you hate than something you love. It will also make you seem passionate about your topic which will look good to your professor or teacher.
25. Online classes are classes too. Do not slack off on them!!
26. After writing a paper, copy and paste it into google translate and listen for mistakes. 
27. Make a few friends that are upperclassmen. Upperclassmen have cars and can give your rides places ☺
28. Use scholar.google.com to do research for essays. You will find higher quality information.
29. Spreeder.com is a great site to use if you want to improve your reading ability. 
30. If you need to give a speech or presentation to the class, change the color of the font every couple of lines. It will help keep you from losing your place.