As the summer boils to a close, so begins another school year… and naturally, we’re all a little nervous, but excited!

Aside from the joys of back-to-school shopping, the new school year can be an anxious time. New classes, new teachers, and maybe even a new school – it can all add up to an intimidating first day. But all this change can also be a great opportunity to make new friends and try new things!

Let’s start the year off right! Once you’ve figured out what to wear, a little mental prep work (repeat after us: “There’s life beyond high school. There’s life beyond high school. There’s life…”) and some in-depth analysis of the high school terrain may help calm those first-day jitters.

The Locker Situation

credit: piccry.com

Hopefully by now we’ve all developed a certain level of courtesy when it comes to sharing a cramped hallway (i.e. no dropping books on each other’s heads, things like that). If not, you’ve got your first assignment.

You may have little control over where your locker is, but as for inside of that locker… that’s yours for the next 9 months. Let’s make efficiency the theme this year: lunch, backpack, jacket, books, maybe an instrument or some cleats… the goal is to get in and out, leaving more time for yourself (a minute here, a minute there… let’s take what we can get)!

The Classroom

The teacher, well, we can’t do anything about that. But if we’re lucky, maybe we can choose where to sit.

Will the window be too cold or a welcome distraction? The heater – cozy or nap-inducing? Hard to see from the back, but a little intense up front… maybe we choose the middle. Surround yourself with potential new study buddie s- finally the chance to hang out with that kid you’ve had five classes with and still don’t know!

The Lab
One ultimate buddy with which to share a desk and properly manage to set up a Bunsen burner?! If the choice is yours, choose wisely.

(Note: An Edward Cullen, who silently throws death-glares your way while resisting the urge to eat you, is probably not the best choice.)

The Cafeteria

Among the many lessons Mean Girls has taught us, navigating the high school cafeteria is perhaps the most important (second only to making fetch happen).

We all know the slight nuances of the layout – the senior corner, freshman side, lots of football jerseys. And we all face that same looming question: who will I sit with? Would that we could have our best bud in the same lunch period, but that’s unlikely, so find aim for a friendly faces and go for it! Everyone is looking for people to eat with – take a chance to explore potential new lunch buddies and maybe make a new friend.

And finally… Extracurriculars!

With a bunch of new clubs and teams starting up, this year is the perfect chance to try something new.

The list of after-school activities seems endless, so uncover a secret talent or passion with a new adventure. Or just meet some new people with neat interests. Either way, it’s worth a shot to see what’s out there, while still making time for the activities you know you love.

Just remember not to overload yourself, if you can help it. Sleep is a good thing, and us teens need lots of it.