Sophomore Year: Starting A New Life

Just recently, I found out I was moving to another state. Knowing I have to leave everything behind was awful. I was halfway through eighth grade, starting the second semester, and I was doing great. My grades were all A’s and I was happy there with all my friends, Amber, Marianna, and Makayla. Our house was decent, my sister and I both had our own rooms anything I would ever wish for. My dad had been promoted to another job, where he was going to get paid more than what he was currently earning. It was an amazing opportunity for my family. I was glad for my dad, but I still felt bad for myself.

Moving from Texas to Wisconsin was a hard to do. The people were more diverse and never had problem with another race. For myself it was simpler in those days at Texas. I had lived there for the last 13 years, moving is hard to leave a place that is known so well. My mind was going crazy, was panicking because being the new kid at the school is something doesn’t want. As all this is happening, have to endure the school year, which my parents bought my school supplies with my older siblings.  ready for a whole new experience and having the idea of what the people are like. Each week in August school was getting closer and closer I didn’t want it to start. I’m also in the 7th grade and not the most mature person I knew at the time. Everything leading up to the start of the school year was crazy, and when it happened to be the last day of summer, the mind was ballistic.

Junior year; considered the most difficult year of high school. Junior year wants to make senior year as relaxing and stress free as possible. Part of this preparation: community service and then writing a paper and making a presentation surrounding that service. Kennedy calls this project the integrated service learning (ISLE) project. For my ISLE project, I built houses in New Orleans through Habitat for Humanity, a nonprofit organization. I found that when hurricane Katrina and the Levis broke it left a tremendous amount left in its wake. Since the trip would knock all my service hours out in a week and I became interested in the project I went and worked on houses and learned a great deal culture and poverty

As a nontraditional student as well as a Sophomore my goals as well as responsibilities are different from the typical student’s. As a father of three, including a six month old balancing my professional, academic, together with my personal life has been the most challenging aspect of returning to school.

I just can’t believe there is only few more days of high school left. As the days are getting closer and closer, it's getting sad. I still remember the day I stepped into Maine East High School as a Freshman, at that time, all I wished for was to graduate from this school with good grades. High school was not the way I imagined, it is way different from what I thought and definitely different from Middle School. Freshman year was the “exploring/adventure” year, finding where each classes were, what activities/clubs were offered at this school and many more. Freshman year went quickly and then Sophomore year came up. Sophomore year was probably the least stressful year in high school but from Sophomore year my family and friends started asking me the scariest question “What are you doing after high school, which career?

Heading from middle school to high school can seem somewhat intimidating to the average teenager. No more will you be in the safety of those peers you grew up with as you head off to the larger high school that allows you to blend in with grades 9th through 12th. Many first time freshman year high school students are filled with mixed emotions on this next chapter in their life. Today I am sharing some tips on how to survive freshman year at high school so that you can help your teenager relax and breeze through the first days of being a high school freshman.

The thought of new adventures I will encounter and the freedom I will gain in college makes me ecstatic. Your First Year of College: 25 Strategies and Tips to Help You Survive and Thrive Your Freshman Year and Beyond written by Randall S. Hansen, who is an entrepreneur who is focused on helping people with college success and health and wellness. “Get enough sleep, take your vitamins and eat right.” Getting enough sleep can improve your focus and agility. The author suggest that if you stay healthy, get enough sleep, and take your vitamins you should have a better chance of avoiding the “Freshman 15.” Without having your parents around to serve you a good balanced meal, one may be tempted to go for the cookies

Towards the end of my 8th grade year my mom told me that we would be moving again, but this time to a whole other state. Once again my heart dropped and I was devastated. I told my closest friends and they all cried with me. They threw me a little going away party and I hung out with my best friend from my old school before I left. I didn’t want to relive being the new kid again but I didn’t have much of a choice since I didn’t want to live with my

The concept of not having parents around to police almost every aspect of life may sound superb, but it isn’t all fun and games in college. In the article Your First Year of College: 25 Strategies and Tips to Help You Survive and Thrive Your Freshman Year and Beyond. Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D, the author, is a former marketing professor and writes articles such as this one to empower people. “While good grades could have come naturally to you in high school, you will have to earn them in college”(Hansen). This quote is key for the kids who just skated by in high school. For incoming freshman the workload may seem unbearable, but staying organized and focused are vital if you want to succeed in your first year. Feeling overwhelmed and stressed

“College is a balancing act” I have personally heard this quote numerous times; however, it did not forecast its complete meaning until I began college myself. High School counselors prepare you academically and allow the paperwork process to run smoothly when entering college as a freshman. Although most of these counselors work hard to help High School senior’s transition into college, I believe no amount of paperwork or aid prepares you for such change. According to this survey, career uncertainty leads to anxiety – I couldn’t agree more with the findings of this study and to me it is no surprise. It is evident that the change of majors and anxiety created by the pressure of future satisfaction of jobs remains evident present day. Personally,

Coming into high school as a freshman scared and not knowing what to do was one of the many thoughts that were in my mind, but now as a senior that is ready to graduate in a couple of weeks I wish I could have known a couple of things before starting my journey till this day. I have some important advice from my past past experiences to you as a freshman is: Starting a sport to play, Getting involved with clubs, and Being social.

When I thought about coming to high school, I thought it would be horrible. People would always say that there are evil teachers that give you a week's worth of homework and only give you a few hours to do it, disgusting lunches that never want to make you look at food again, and P.E. classes that work you so hard you'll want to throw up. Now that I'm here I see that high school isn't all that bad. Although I'm sure their out there somewhere, I haven't gotten any teachers that give out a ton of homework. The school lunches aren't bad at all, in my opinion. And the P.E. classes haven't started but I went to Prescott so I think I'll do just fine in that category. I think that my high school experience will be something fun that I will remember

It's impossible to think about things that have significantly impacted my life without considering my mother's diagnosis with cancer. It has changed the way I approach nearly everything in my life, and has led to other significant experiences. She was diagnosed the beginning of my Sophomore year, so I've had to balance home and school obligations nearly my entire high school career. I had to take responsibility and start acting more maturely, whether I wanted to or not. My mother suddenly couldn't do many things she used to be able to do, and as my father travels every week I had to step up and fill the void. Through doing this, I've become a lot more independent, and gained better clarity into my priorities and what I want out of my life.

When I was at Tad Gormley watching the Blue Jays and realized I couldn’t stand, I learned not everything goes as planned. My parents were helping my sister move into college, so I was attending the Jesuit football game with a babysitter. During the celebration following a score, I knocked my water bottle onto the track; so, in order to retrieve it, I decided to jump over the fence that separates the field and the stands. It didn’t seem like a monumental task as I had jumped over that same four-foot fence multiple times that game alone. Unfortunately, I was standing at a poorly patched area in the fence and as I jumped my foot barely caught the edge of it. Consequently, I fell awkwardly, but I rotated my body to avoid hitting my head and ended

The first year of college comes with many changes and challenges. These changes can include the food in the cafeteria, study habits, time management skills, and much more. Every student has to find their own way to handle the first year and determine what works best for them. For many the most essential change is living away from home. Campus life provides opportunities to become a part of a unique, diversified community. With these opportunities come challenges, such as having a roommate, being away from one’s parents, and determining self-limits.