Dear Underclassmen,

Dear Underclassmen,

My name is Jo, I am a senior in the class of 2022, and I became a legal adult just two days ago.  In terms of the state of being these days, I do not have to tell you all that things are unusual, confusing, and overwhelming at times.  If anything, I consider myself privileged to be so old at a time such as this.  Though I do not think myself a sage by any means, I did learn how to survive high school in the last five years I have spent in FCHS.    Here are a few things I have committed to remember, and I hope they help you in your remaining years here.  

• Calm Down.  

Things are not nearly as deep as you think they are.  Not everything warrants a considerable reaction.  Nobody will remember if you tripped in the hallway or if your voice cracked in class.  It’s not an issue.  Your classmates are not bothered, and you shouldn’t be either.  One bad grade won’t kill your chances of getting into college either.  Also, grudges are a lot more exhausting than what they’re worth.  You don’t have to forget the way someone treated you, and you don’t have to forgive them either.  Don’t give them the pleasure of exhausting your free time as well.  

• Study Groups are a saving grace.

Once you get older, you’ll probably take more demanding classes.  The increased difficulty is especially true in dual enrollment or AP classes.  Talk to your classmates about homework and lectures. Your friends will treat you like God if you send them a Quizlet four days before an exam.  Group FaceTime calls late at night where you all do your homework will get your work done faster.  Believe me; you won’t procrastinate when everyone can see you do nothing.  Your grades and your friendships will improve.  

• Talk to your teachers.

They’re a lot cooler than you think they are.  If you’re stuck in a class, it’s a lot easier to go to a teacher you know for help than one you don’t.  Be nice to them.  Banter with them.  Pay attention to them.  Your grades will improve, and by the end of high school, you’ll have a friend who is eager to brag about you to colleges. 

• Take some time to see your friends.

If you don’t see your friends, you will go insane.  I totally understand not wanting to go out or being so busy with school that you feel like you can’t have fun.  The thing is, if you don’t have at least a little bit of fun in high school, you will regret it.  This is your youth.  You don’t need to take yourself so seriously.  News flash: you are a kid.  Hang out with your friends.  Take photos, listen to music, go on adventures.  Future you will thank you later.  To aid with this, get your driver’s license as soon as possible. 

• Things do get better. 

You all do not need me to tell you that high school is full of cliques and drama and a bunch of negatives.  It feels like there is a social hierarchy and that people do not talk to certain people unless they want to get bullied.  Things change, and they change for the better.  I literally realized that my childhood bully is really cool, intelligent, beautiful, and capable this year, and it’s been such as relief to stop being angry and be their friend.  In my junior year, we all started talking about our hopes and worries, and we’ve all gotten closer because of it.  Things get better.  

There is so much more that I can think of, but this would get exhaustive.

Best of luck,

Jocelynne