Freshman Worries: A Big Deal?

When transitioning between schools, many are worried about the upcoming changes associated with switching classes, managing a busier schedule, and having more classes with more homework. It’s easy to be worried about the unknown when becoming a college or high school freshman. Finding someone who has been through what you are soon to experience may help! They can give you some advice to help ease your transition.

We gathered advice from a college freshman at Amherst University in Massachusetts, Florence Doyle, for high school juniors and seniors who will soon be heading off to college. Doyle herself—older sister to Ruby—had graduated from GHS. When asked what her main worries were as a high school student going into college, she replied, “I was worried about keeping up with reading requirements, and writing essays in a timely manner.”

Originally, at the beginning of the year, Doyle voiced her main worry as, “Posting to the discussion forums… Papers and discussion forums have been the worst.” We asked her if it is important for students to know what they want to do when starting their freshman year in high school, as many seniors get worried about going into college without a set idea for a career. In response, Doyle replied, “You don’t really need to know your career at the beginning, but if you have an idea, it can help you to stay motivated to finish college. At first, I didn’t really have an idea, and I kind of wanted to quit college. But when I found out what I wanted to do, it gave me the incentive to finish freshman year and do well.”

Another concern regarding the college transition is the college admissions process. We asked Doyle if she had any advice to make the process easier. Doyle answered, “Don’t feel bad to ask for a letter of recommendation. The teachers were very willing to do it and they were very helpful. Try to work hard on essays because sometimes you can reuse them.”

Naturally, leaving home can be incredibly stressful for new college students. However, in order to ease some of the tension surrounding the issue, we asked Doyle how being away from home has affected her, and if she has any advice. Doyle replied, “It helps to call but not too much, because it can make you homesick. But it has gotten better with the time that the school year has gone by. I’ve gotten used to not being at home.” Instead, Doyle suggested, “Go to programs and camps, meet with smaller groups, and meet with people in your classes. That’s really how you can make friends fast. That’s how I made friends.”

Doyle’s final piece of advice boiled down to: “Try lots of different things, and you can choose to go a different route if something doesn’t work out.”

Our other interviewees were two middle school students, our younger sisters, Lili Doyle and Elizabeth Bartle, who will be entering GHS soon. Many stressed worries about work and homework overloads, particularly in addition to gym-related activities.

Furthermore, Lili and Elizabeth shared additional worries such as not having “enough time to get between classes.” Yet despite worries, Lili and Elizabeth expressed excitement about new opportunities. Elizabeth says, “I’m excited to have the freedom to choose the classes.”

As GHS freshmen, we recently had these worries and fears, and they are justified worries to have. High school is different from middle school, true, but now that our school year is almost over, we can proudly de-bunk all of those anxieties that new freshmen may have. We want to assure you that there is enough time to get to and from your classes, just as long as you don’t linger in the hallways for long periods of time. After the first few weeks, you will also have an idea of how long it takes to get from class to class. Friends can help you get to classes as well and help you adjust to school. Try to make many new friends! You may not have friends in all of your classes, but hopefully you will see some familiar faces. High school is a great time and place to create new relationships. While there can be a lot of homework, as long as you dont procrastinate, it shouldn’t be an issue. As some quick advice, you may not have homework if you use your time efficiently in class. You will get through it!

Now, we hope that you have a good idea about some worries that people have, especially incoming freshmen. We’ve all felt these things before, our part now is to try and help someone else adjust to high school!