My Transition Into High School Research Paper

Major changes in my life have affected my high school career, but a large impact came from the death of my father in eighth grade. Before his passing, I was an average A/B student in middle school and even elementary school, which quickly changed in 8th grade when my classes became too hard for me to handle. I decided the best thing for my mental health was to drop out of my higher level classes. This lead to being in standard classes throughout my first year of high school with minimal effort from my part. After constantly missing school, I failed my second quarter. Instead of bouncing back from this, it pushed me down, making me believe I would never be able to recover. Without any motivation, I ended my ninth grade year with a grade point average of 1.4.

Throughout my high school career I have had many ups and many downs.  High School by far has been the biggest challenge I’ve ever had to overcome.  Freshman year and sophomore year were my easiest years academic wise but my junior and senior years have been very challenging.  But while facing these challenges I have learned many things that may be helpful for those future seniors who are trying to get through high school.

Walking into school on my first day of high school, I felt out of place. My face covered in acne, my teeth covered in braces, and the callicks in my hair stuck up through the abnormally thick layer of hair gel that coated them. My middle school social anxiety still ruled over me as I could barely speak with any member of the opposite sex. Yet, I still had an odd confidence about me. I had always been one of the best students in my class, even without ever studying for a test. I viewed high school as a slight uptick from the curriculum I had easily passed in middle school. I was wrong. High school exists as a microcosm of society, in which I originally failed to acclimate myself to the challenges posed to me in a setting of increased

Starting high school, I was not a perfect student. However, over the past three years, it is clear that my grades have drastically improved. Whether it was adjusting to AP classes or balancing extracurricular activities and homework, I became proficient at handling the twists and turns of high school. By smoothing out my rough edges, I have become a student with distinct goals and a strong work ethic. Having experienced both low and high ends of academic success, my abilities and mindset can be molded to any situation. I am confident that I have the talent, ambition, and the adaptive abilities to become part of a guaranteed

It was the end of the 1st semester of my sophomore year and I was discussing classes with my counselor, the fact that I was joining AVID I knew in that moment I realized that I had to take school more seriously. College is just around the corner, I knew that I needed to make a change and be more responsible in my life. When my counselor told me in order to be in the program you have to maintain a good GPA. It helps that I've always had decent grades throughout my life in school so that wasn’t a problem.

During my time at Junior High i’ve always had things come so easy to me, and I loved it. I would get decent grades without having to study for the tests, the homework was straightforward, and the teachers loved me. Being the average know-it-all child I was, I thought this would’ve carried out into high school. I spent my freshman year struggling because I didn’t quite understand that yet. It wasn’t until my second semester of sophomore year I finally made a change, and it showed a considerable amount. I kept the ambition up throughout my junior year, received a job as a CNA, and stayed busy managing wrestling.

In 8th grade, I was told I would be moving to a new country, so my parents could start their new careers of being missionaries. At first, I was so happy and excited for this new adventure. However, after I entered high school I did not want to leave, I wanted to be involved with my school and in activities. The decision my parents made really affected my life, I became very angry with them and started to do things I normally wouldn’t do, like self-harm. Before entering my junior year of high school my family and I moved to Costa Rica. Instead of being angry and having self-pity, I decided to be optimistic and think of the experience as a grand adventure that no one else gets encounter. I left my friends and family and the life I’ve known since

The transition into college can be a defining moment in a person’s life. They have opportunities to work hard and be successful and also opportunities to slack off and be disappointed. I feel confident in my ability to transition smoothly into college life. Many parts of my high school career, both at school and away from school have prepared me for what is ahead in my life.

In sixth grade, a teacher recognized me as a student who had the potential for academic excellence and I would have the opportunity to enroll in Academically and Intellectually Gifted classes. This felt exciting to me because I wanted to learn and experience everything I could. Unfortunately, the AIG program at my middle school ended quite abruptly after being told this. I continued through middle school feeling unchallenged and uninspired. However, I was able to excel and maintain an “A” average and participate in community services both at the school and Thrift Shop throughout my middle school career. In eighth grade, when I got my registration form for classes at Northwood and saw the abundance of subjects with differing levels of rigor I was ecstatic to start high school. I felt this could be the challenge I desired.

Ready or not, we all go through numerous transitions in our lives whether it’s leaving high school to go to college or work, changing jobs, getting married, or having children. These transitions can take weeks, months, and years; depending on the awkward emotional spaces where we have cut ties with what we know, and also have not settled into what is new.

That doesn’t sound like a positive start to high school, and it wasn’t. After years of apathy, of ‘it doesn’t matter if I fail, nobody cares, it doesn’t matter,’ of aspiring to nothing, I was suddenly confronted with ‘it does matter.’ I faced real consequences for my decisions. Where before I been up to my neck in pure academic diffidence

Entering college, I have at least four years of classes ahead of me. I will take classes I will be genuinely excited to take, but I also know I will take classes that I will not be as thrilled about. Whether it is a class I will be excited about, or a class I will be dreading, it is ultimately my responsibility to do well in those classes. Although some professors are indeed better than others, their skills and abilities, or lack thereof, should not hinder my ability to receive a quality education.

Have you ever wondered why students tend to drop out or not graduate on time?

To avoid the zombies in my school I would have to stay off the third floor because once I go there, I only have the choice of going downstairs. Also, I would go hide in the rooms that are accessible by authorized personal like the security room because that decreases the chances of someone finding me. While hiding I would bring a pocket knife, ropes, a banana, a lock with keys, and a jacket. A pocket knife and ropes will help me protect myself, while a banana could be places on the floor to make someone fall or for a snack when I get hungry. A lock with keys will keep the door of where I was hiding locked and a jacket will keep me warm because the school is so

As my high school career comes to a close I often times sit back and reflect on moments where I failed to succeed or didn't live up to the expectations put forth by myself or my parents. The failure that often think back to is my report card from freshmen year. All through middle school I always received high marks and success in the classroom was something that came easy. I fully expected that trend to continue as I began my high school career. However, this was not the case in the slightest. Upon receiving my first quarter report card me as well as the rest of my family were stunned to realize that I had not performed up to my usual standards as my grades were much lower than anticipated. Though initially shaken by this news, I was confident