As the first week of school comes to an end, freshmen are settling in and getting situated. Still, with four long years ahead of them, they are high school novices, so here are a few words of advice from upperclassmen.

Main question: What do freshman need to know about Hebron High School?

Chris Rose, Senior

“[Some advice is] don’t get cocky. Do your homework. Stay on top of things because you’ll regret it if you don’t. I’d say do things during block lunch if they’re important. Don’t skip out on tutoring. When you get home, just do your chores or whatever you’re doing, and go straight to your homework. That’s when you have the most time. The teachers aren’t as scary as they come off to be. Go to your teachers; they’re going to be willing to help.”

Catie Weidert, Senior

“Don’t take your classes for granted because your freshman year is crucial. Like with your rank and GPA, [because] it counts towards college. But also have fun and don’t get caught up in drama. [In my freshman year] I cared too much about what people thought about me. I didn’t have as many friends because I was always worried about being cool and popular. You just need to be you and you’ll be fine. In the main campus, no one really cares. You can be friends with anyone, you can talk to anyone. There’s obviously rude people, [but no one says] ‘you can’t sit here, you’re not cool enough.’”

Jessica Lopez, Senior

“Stay on task, don’t slack off, join clubs to get to know new people. Definitely [go to] tutoring and study groups. Get out of your comfort zone and talk to new people because that’s how you meet your closest friends. Read over your notes every night so whenever you have a quiz or a test, you’ll already know it and you won’t have to study as hard.”

Alex Halten, Junior

“Just start off your first year right. Make sure you’re ahead with everything. [Join] clubs and everything because that also keeps you busy. If there is tutoring, make sure you take advantage of that. Coming to the main campus is a different picture: it’s bigger, and you’re not alone. If [you’re] having any trouble, go to a teacher, a counselor or any of your friends, just to see what’s happening to try and get yourself back on track with everything.”

Ishaan Sharma, Junior

“Develop good study habits from the start. When you become older you’ll have more experience. Study more. For people coming from different schools, make a good set of friends. They will help you in the long run. They are [here] for you.”

Carmen Leticia Pena, Junior

“When you get to your sophomore year, make sure that if a teacher doesn’t like you just be polite. They won’t pick on you as much. But you also have to pay attention [in] class and turn in your homework. If not, the teacher is going to get mad and will end up not liking you. I basically just pay attention and I learn a lot.”

Megan Carrera, Sophomore

“When you’re making friends, don’t worry if it doesn’t happen right away; it takes time. Even if you try talking to someone and it doesn’t work out, don’t get discouraged because it will happen eventually with someone else. Even if you don’t get all As, it’s perfectly fine.”

Kat Moon, Sophomore

“My advice is to be yourself, and don’t wear what everyone else is wearing, because I’m tired of seeing it. What I learned is to be confident. You look good when you’re confident. Just get through [your struggles], because freshman year isn’t the best for everyone. But trust me, it will be better and you will get up there in life.”

Naazil Sadruddin, Sophomore

“Don’t mess up your GPA. Don’t fail a class. When you fail a class, you have to take a walk of shame all the way back to ninth grade [to retake it]. [Which] kinda sucks. You can trust some people, and some you can’t.”