High School Orientation Intro

       8th Graders, do you know the key to maintaining a high GPA? Or the most underutilized opportunities in high school? What about organizing all your binders without a locker? These are some important questions that our rising freshmen should be able to answer in order to have a successful transition to high school. In this article, current MHS high schoolers have answered some of the most common and key questions the eighth graders might have.

     It’s almost the end of the year, which means high school is getting closer for the eighth graders at MMS. PEN peer leaders Diya and Kateryna have gathered notes from high school students, the orientation, and the curriculum to share with their peers. Featured in this article are some insights from current MHS high schoolers who will give advice on common freshman struggles. Other topics disucssed are schedules, classes, clubs, obstacles, the 8th grade orientation trip itself and other things that differ from middle school. 

How did the 8th grade orientation trip go? 

In the high school orientation trip, 8th graders were able to meet their future guidance counselor and fill out their course selection sheets with them. The students’ guidance cousleors will aid them throughout highschool, and will play a big role in college applications and selection. Simultaneously, high schoolers represented their student-run clubs at small stands in the gyms by telling all of the important information about a particular club. 8th graders got to sign up for various clubs, including all sports. Future high schoolers had pizza and oreos at lunch while being in the cafeteria. Furthermore, 8th graders who were divided into small groups were led by peer leaders in exploring the whole high school . The tour around the school showed the 8th graders where the classes will be located. The 8th grade HIgh School Orientation trip was really important since it helped the students to get the basic understanding of 9th grade and to be aware of what is coming up next year. Overall, most of the students liked the orientation trip which helped them to be more confident in going to 9th grade already knowing somewhat about high school. 

Is the schedule in high school different than in middle school?: 

In high school, the schedule is really different. In fact, in 2022 bell schedules used to be really similar even almost the same as in Middle school. Fortunately, the Millburn board of education changed it and now the schedule includes only 4 periods for a full hour and a half. Unlike Middle School, high school only has A and B days in rotation. This is a better option since students don’t have to worry about what “day” it is or what class they have first. The best thing about the high school schedule is that lunchtime is an hour! Furthermore, you have lots of time to meet with your teachers, do homework, and walk around the school with no need for a pass. In short, you can do anything you want during “Common lunch” without any permission from teachers. Thanks to this schedule, students can get more work done on time. On other hand, I think you already wondered if it is actually better to have extended classes? It might be really tiring to work all 90 minutes without a break, right? Well, you get an hour break during lunch and if you are really tired or feel bad, you can just ask a teacher for a break. Overall, the schedule seems strange but as 8th graders come to high school, they will totally get used to it and that it helps them to have a wider knowledge on the subject as the time of the period is longer than it is in the Middle school. 

Middle school vs. High school: 

What do you not have to worry about? 

You might think that the biggest challenge of high school is strict teachers, getting to your class on time and studying a lot. However, you don’t have to be that stressed over it! Since you will be a new student in an unknown huge building, all of the people that have already been in here will totally help you as much as they can. This reminds me of how all of us entered the Middle school when we were just a little 5th grader. It actually has lots of similarities. Before the school starts you will have to get to see your locker and teachers as well as in a middle school orientation. You will also get to see your teachers and classes where you should go. Also, you don't have to worry about your grades, of course you have to try your best to get good grades, but if you get one or two bad grades, guess what it will not affect your GPA. 

The questions: 

1) Which electives do you recommend the most and why?

2) What are your thoughts on high school so far?

3) What is your biggest academic regret in middle school?

4) What was your best decision when entering high school?

5) Do you have any academic tips for the incoming freshman?

6) How do you balance homework and studying with extracurriculars and hobbies?

7) What is your experience with clubs?

8) Which study habits work the best for you?

9) What is the key to maintaining a high GPA?

10) What are some major differences between middle school and high school?

11) If you could give your middle school self some advice, what would it be?

12) How do you organize everyday materials like binders and supplies?

13) What are some under-utilized opportunities that you recommend to the students?

14) What should students do to prepare for their first day of high school?

15) Who is your go-to person for guidance (a friend, teacher, parent, counselor, etc)?

16) What should students expect in terms of homework?

17) How frequently do you have tests and how do you keep up with them?

18) What is something you wish you knew before entering high school?

19) Do you have any other advice for the incoming freshmen?

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Final responses:

1) Which electives do you recommend the most and why?

Jia Doshi: "Personally, I always lean towards the creative side of things. If you take an interest in arts, I would recommend taking Honors Art 2D or 3D or Art Exploration, Cultural Crafts, etc or music ensembles such as band. choir, or orchestra. If you want to fulfill your graduation requirements, I would recommend taking Financial Literacy. It's an easy class with minimum stress. However, electives are usually based on what you enjoy, and in my freshmen year, I would recommend getting a taste of different fields."

Polina Naichuk: "I recommend trying art classes as they really help you to unwind. In some art classes you do things that you can actually use in your everyday life, bring home as a decoration or make them be a present for somebody. It is also not too hard to take accelerated art but it still gonna make your gpa go up at least a bit."

2) What are your thoughts on high school so far?

Jia Doshi: "The high school is different from the Middle School. Firstly, the schedule is much simpler than the Middle School's A through D day schedule. However, classes could be anywhere in the building, so you might be moving from one end to the other in 6 minutes (or less), especially on Miller Days which is when we have all 8 periods in one day. Usually, Miller Days occur on half days or changes in schedule due to other factors."

Zara Doshi: "As for academics, high school is a little more complex. In the Middle School, most of you might be familiar with the "3-tests-in-a-day" rule. However, in High School, since there are no teams but rather departments categorized in subjects, your tests might be crammed into a day. Of course, I don't want to scare you, but you might have tests from all 4 subjects in one day."

Polina Naichuk: "For me high school is a pretty comfortable place compared to middle school. Freshman year is pretty chill, so many more interesting activities/clubs you can do and so many new classes you can take. People in high school also seem to be a bit more open minded, friendly and just more nice overall. I think there is really nothing to worry about when you go to high school except that at first it may be a little overwhelming but everybody should be fine."

3) What was your best decision when entering high school?

Polina Naichuk: “Trying my best in academics(your grades for freshman year are still important for your gps, but even if you get some bad grades don’t worry about it too much as it won’t completely ruin your gpa!!) and making some new friends. Also probably taking study hall which I recommend to take only for the second half of the year as this is the time when your classes get harder. If you have any problems with academics, study hall will help way more than some people may think, but if you feel like you’re good without it for the first half of the year then maybe take study hall sophomore/junior year as these years are way harder than freshman.”

4) How do you balance homework and studying with extracurriculars and hobbies?

Zara Doshi - “I balance homework and extracurricular or free time by time blocking how much time I want to spend on each task. I use an online planner, and as corny as it may sound, it really helps me because each class always has a lot going on, and teachers rely on you to remember the due dates of assignments.”

Polina Naichuk: “Try to have routines, plan everything ahead of time and don’t leave stuff for last minute. Maybe break some tasks down into a few parts and do them partially if it’s something big rather then do everything last minute.”

5) What is your experience with clubs?

Zara Doshi - “Clubs are huge at MHS. I loved joining Key Club, Speech and Debate, Neuroscience Club, and Future Nurses and Physicians. There are quite literally over 100 options and I even started my own in the middle of freshman year. I have been a hospice volunteer for over two years now, and my club is the Hospice Club. My goals as a founder and president are to educate members about the importance of hospice, raise funds for patient needs, and recruit volunteers.”

Polina Naichuk– “Make a routine and plan your day, you can also have some h/w done during lunch that lasts an hour and if you need a calmer place to study than the cafeteria you can always come to the library(have to sign up on mhs library website) or go to room 108. "

5) Which study habits work the best for you?

Zara Doshi -  "The study habits that work best for me include flashcards/Quizlets, handwriting notes I tend to forget, finding practice quizzes for me this is deffenetly the best, and going to office hours with teachers.”

6) What is the key to maintaining a high GPA?

Polina Naichuk: "Overall, try your best(it’s okay to get one bad grade, clearly you should try not to, but if it happens, you won’t get the gpa of 1.0 bc of one grade so don’t be too stressed and just don’t give up!) and taking higher level classes such as acc or AP if you can."

7) What are some major differences between middle school and high school?

Polina Naichuk: "High school feels more serious and makes you way more responsible."

Zara doshi -  "More independence, a lot more work in each class, heavy emphasis on in class participation, and it's your responsibility to study or turn in assignments (teachers don't buy your excuses). There are also different schedules (currently we have 4 periods a day, each 80 minutes), and grading breakdowns for each class, so adapting to these changes can be difficult. High school classes require a lot more long-term studying, so studying a week before a test is non uncommon, and will probably put less stress on you the night before. High school is definitely the best place to meet new people though. Staying involved in the community is huge, and there are events like sports games and club collaborations which are super fun."

8) How do you organize everyday materials like binders and supplies?

Zara doshi -  "I have color-coded binders for each subject and always track what homework is for what subject as well. Google Classroom is still used, just like middle school, but Classlink has some additional resources for online textbooks or commonly used student websites. 

Polina Naichuk- "If you take a language then you need one big binder as you will store all your papers the entire year. For classes such as science, math and history maybe get a smaller one because once you are half way through the year you just take the midterms and then you clean your binder as materials from first semester aren’t gonna be on finals(just put all the papers to  the side but throw them up at the end of the year just in case)."

9) What should students do to prepare for their first day of high school?

Jia Doshi: "I recommended bringing a folder with some loose-leaf paper, your Chromebook, and a pencil case on your first day. Different teachers require different materials for their classes, so they will explain this on your first day along with giving you their curriculum/contract sheet. I would also be prepared to find your first day of high school hectic, confusing, or stressful  - and that is absolutely fine! There isn't much you can do to prepare, but I would recommend preparing for your upcoming year by making sure you have good studying methods, can work under pressure, are prepared for more assessments/homework, etc."

Zara Doshi: "Before your first day of high school, print your schedule out in advance with the teachers, room numbers, and subject. The first two-ish weeks of school will always be messy so don't worry about being late or being confused. Don't be afraid to ask people in the hallway for directions too!! Bring the basic supplies to class and have a notebook for you to write down important things teachers tell you about the year, even if they might post Intro slides on Google Classroom."

10) Who is your go-to person for guidance (a friend, teacher, parent, counselor, etc)?

Jia Doshi: "Personally, my go-to person for guidance is my mom. She always has provided me with constructive criticism and I am always been able to sort through numerous situations due to her guidance. Additionally, my friends usually help me understand other requirements/policies that are new to me in high school. If nobody has answers, I always turn to my guidance counselor. Regardless of who you have been assigned, the guidance counselors are all friendly and helpful! And if you are struggling with study strategies, coping with tests and assignments, etc. the guidance counselors can usually help you with that as well. You should definitely have a good relationship with your guidance counselor since they do help you in the future (especially with college; recommendations or taking the right classes)."

11) What should students expect in terms of homework?

Polina Naichuk: "Freshmen year can be pretty easy and I know some people who get it done completely during lunch but it also depends on the classes you take."

Jia Doshi: "The homework does increase in the high school. Depending on how many accelerated programs or APs you decide to take, your homework will vary. However, the homework load is generally more than the amount of assignments in the Middle School. As a freshman, I haven't seen a drastic change in homework compared to middle school, but be prepared for a subtle increase. Homework is usually stable, with approximately the same amount being assigned during every class. You might see a drastic change in your first month of high school, but as time moves forward, you will get the hang of it and will realize that it isn't as bad as it seems."

12) How frequently do you have tests, and how do you keep up with them?

Polina Naichuk: "Usually, I do all the work for other classes ahead of time, so that the day before the test I can study for my test only."

Zara Doshi: "It really depends on the class, but for sophomores, there is usually a test or quiz every week (not for each class, just in general). That may sound daunting, but aside from the occasional pop quiz (not worth very many points), teachers tell you in advance so you can prepare. Eventually you get used to having that many assessments, but freshman year definitely had a cycle of notes for 2-3 weeks and having one quiz or quest, and then a big unit test at the end. I keep track using Google Calendar and if I need to, I plan out what topic I want to study each night so I don't fall behind."

13) Do you have any other advice for the incoming freshmen?

Zara Doshi:  "Something really important I've learned is to connect with my teachers. High school is a time where teachers can identify who stands out and is really trying their hardest. Go to office hours, say hi to them in the hallways, actively participate during class, bring them gifts when you go on vacation. Things like that and showing what you know make a huge difference. Also, you've probably heard this a million times but in the long-term, failing a quiz isn't going to hurt. I've had my fair share of bad grades but I forgot about the ones from last year already. Remember to enjoy yourself too because it goes by quickly!"

14) What is it like to have extended classes for 80 minutes?

Polina Naichuk: "This is way more comfortable and nice to have 90-minute classes because you can actually concentrate on the subject and I feel like it’s way less distracting. You also have 2x more time to have your hw done, this allows you to learn more but you’re gonna be 10 times less tired and forget less after the class."