forum freshman advice corner(more advice from crocs)
Started by @croccin-champagne
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@HighPockets group

Tbh mine was pretty lax with the Catholic stuff, we'd have religion class 3 or 4 days a week and weekly church, plus we'd start the day with prayers and stuff, but besides that there wasn't really much religious stuff.

@jupiter-sun-of-sweater-town group

I went to a private Christian school for kindergarten only, and they were decently chill. I actually loved it at the time and didn't realize how bad the school was, even for a private school, until a few years ago. There was no library and no buses. It was so small that there was only 1 teacher for each grade (this was a k-12 school), and third and fourth grade even shared a teacher. My parents pulled me from it after almost all the teachers left, and k-12 would be sharing three teachers. I think they closed last year. I've been going to public school since then, and while I like it as much as one can like public school aka not a whole lot, I do sometimes miss the environment.
However, Jyn, I do relate to you on a smaller level. My parents, especially my dad, are not particularly fond of any sexuality other than straight, and even though demiromantic just means that I'm really picky, idk whether to tell them that there's a word for it out of fear that they'd misunderstand. It literally just means that I'm extremely picky about who I fall in love with, which they know already. idk if it's even worth bringing up. so sorry for the random vent

@croccin-champagne

catholic schools…usually have the best architecture. that's all i honestly know about them beyond the fact that i a) probably can't go to them and b) would get kicked out. also that i'm not too interested in them

HA remind me to PM you about how shitty the architecture at mine was, it's a bit long for here (also I wanna include pics without doxing myself to everyone lmao)

oh bet. i've seen a handful that i've lived near(like minor ones) and they had nice architecture, and also i've seen pics of catholic colleges with really nice architecture. that is what i'm basing that off lmao

@HighPockets group

Honestly the switch isn't that bad. Anything specific you want advice on?
Public schools are generally bigger, so there's that. Usually a bit louder too.
If you're still interested in practicing Catholicism, maybe see about finding some sort of religious ed or small-group thing to join? I was in one for a bit before I got confirmed.

@croccin-champagne

public schools are weird. that's all there really is to it, long as you aren't getting a super bad one. sometimes the weird is even charming, and if it is, definitely hold on to that and laugh

school food? horrible. bring your own if you can but usually the breakfast isn't the worst. steal milk from your friends tho when they don't want it. always keep some snacks on you but don't let anyone know unless you're down with sharing. or ig if you don't know anyone then no one will likely ask lmao, except for Those kids. but yeah snacks are a life saver, school if boring and long.

dress comfortably. even with a dress code, you can still dress in ways that make you feel comfortable, which usually implies sweats and t-shirts or whatever. but really anything works. and if teachers give you shit about how in college it won't be accepted–they like to do that–tell them that unless a college has a specific standard they only care that you show up to class. because that's where the money comes from. not your outfit.

make friends, and make acquaintances. acquaintances are good when you just need a familiar face and casual conversation, and friends are friends and we love them. don't push yourself to over socialize. i see people do it all the time, and seriously, don't

you will be laughed at for something in your school career. teens laugh at other teens. it's fine, and everyone tends to forget everything because they're too tired and depressed and have other things to do. so seriously, don't be afraid of messing up or looking stupid cause usually no one will even notice in the first place

be nice to people! give compliments as much as you can and it'll hella improve both your day and someone else's and since public school is so boring and gross, everyone needs it

everyone is just as tired/stressed/nervous as you are at orientation. talk to people. ask for help. please, please, please don't hide and try to avoid talking. if you have a question ask it, talk to someone who looks as nervous as you feel. everyone doesn't want to be there. some people are just better at hiding it than others

people seem spooky but they're just as mortal as you are

if you have any specific questions as it gets closer to it, just ask and anyone here can probably answer!

@galaxyunicorn-is-in-love-with-starry

school food? horrible. bring your own if you can but usually the breakfast isn't the worst. steal milk from your friends tho when they don't want it. always keep some snacks on you but don't let anyone know unless you're down with sharing. or ig if you don't know anyone then no one will likely ask lmao, except for Those kids. but yeah snacks are a life saver, school if boring and long.

breakfast??? do you eat breakfast at school???

@Pickles group

school food? horrible. bring your own if you can but usually the breakfast isn't the worst. steal milk from your friends tho when they don't want it. always keep some snacks on you but don't let anyone know unless you're down with sharing. or ig if you don't know anyone then no one will likely ask lmao, except for Those kids. but yeah snacks are a life saver, school if boring and long.

breakfast??? do you eat breakfast at school???

Sometimes schools serve breakfast for lunch

@galaxyunicorn-is-in-love-with-starry

school food? horrible. bring your own if you can but usually the breakfast isn't the worst. steal milk from your friends tho when they don't want it. always keep some snacks on you but don't let anyone know unless you're down with sharing. or ig if you don't know anyone then no one will likely ask lmao, except for Those kids. but yeah snacks are a life saver, school if boring and long.

breakfast??? do you eat breakfast at school???

Sometimes schools serve breakfast for lunch

oh. yeah my old school did that sometimes

@croccin-champagne

no….the public schools i went to served breakfast. it helped low income students and students who had to be dropped off a bit earlier due to their parents' work schedules. gave them something to do and eat

@croccin-champagne

sucks that you're missing the golden age of public school lunches tho. when they served jello on holidays, special days had little cups of icecream, and breakfast had those blueberry muffins in packaging

but yeah i didnt realize some schools didn't have breakfast lmao my family was a lot harder pressed for money when i was in elementary school so we always got breakfast at school

@Becfromthedead group

Guess it depends where you live. I thought all public schools did, but then again, I live in a place with a lot of poverty. The schools offer reduced price and free lunches to students under certain income brackets as well.

@croccin-champagne

Guess it depends where you live. I thought all public schools did, but then again, I live in a place with a lot of poverty. The schools offer reduced price and free lunches to students under certain income brackets as well.

oh yeah, my family got the free or reduced lunches for years, until my mom started working and they made just over the limit for any reduction at all. like. barely over it. so i started packing my lunches, which usually meant grabbing snacks and forgetting that meals existed unless i had left over pasta

@HighPockets group

Mine does free breakfast iirc, I never ate it since a) I rarely got to school on time and b) I felt like I shouldn't since I could afford to eat breakfast at home and didn't want to take away from people who couldn't.
Keep some cash on you or in your backpack, whether it's for something from a vending machine, to bail a friend out at lunch, or in case people invite you for a snack after school. Take AP classes, but only for subjects you enjoy/are willing to dedicate a lot of time to. Personally I'd recommend AP US History or, from what I've heard, AP Psychology.
The whole "pop quiz!!!" thing from all those teen movies doesn't seem to be a real thing, at least at my school.
TAKE A STUDY HALL!! Personally I'd see about taking it later in the day so you can get your homework done, but it's just good to have a class period where you can wind down a bit.

@Pickles group

If there are pop quizzes at your school, it's probably only for a class or two (my bio teacher loved them) and just during "pop quiz season!!!!1!1" which is the first quarter and maybe a little bit after. Usually they make it pretty clear at the beginning whether or not there are regular pop quizzes, but reading through your notes at the end of every day helps you when test time comes so do that anyway

@HighPockets group

Take notes physically, and then type them out if you want to. Writing things down helps with memorization iirc, and it's nice to have a binder or notebook with all of your notes for a class in it.

@Pickles group

TAKE A STUDY HALL!! Personally I'd see about taking it later in the day so you can get your homework done, but it's just good to have a class period where you can wind down a bit.

Yes yes yes
Don't try to get the homework due that day done in study hall because while it may seem feasible, it doesn't work long term and there WILL be days that you don't get things finished. Work on the homework you just got and that's not due for a while and in any extra time, I recommend starting a bullet journal and unwinding, even if you don't really use it. Setting it up is really fun and relaxing and it gives you a sense of accomplishment and organization without having to do much.

@HighPockets group

Finals….honestly aren't that bad? Granted I'm a very good test taker but if you read your notes, do your study guides, and do the voluntary work you should be fine.

@Pickles group

Take notes physically, and then type them out if you want to. Writing things down helps with memorization iirc, and it's nice to have a binder or notebook with all of your notes for a class in it.

Yeah even if your teacher let's you type or publicly posts the slides. Not taking your own notes because you have access to the slides is a really bad habit that's super hard to break because why pay attention when you can just look at the slideshow five minutes before the test? I've been doing that for about three years and oh wow it's terrible.
Rewriting your notes and making them pretty helps to study too, and is another fun "I have nothing to do in study hall" activity

@HighPockets group

Find good, reliable websites for flashcards and study tools. Personally I like Shmoop and Sparknotes as help for English classes, since they break down characters and scenes from books also if you need any help with understanding Shakespeare stuff for class just pm me lol, or I guess for some classics stuff in general.

@Pickles group

Finals….honestly aren't that bad? Granted I'm a very good test taker but if you read your notes, do your study guides, and do the voluntary work you should be fine.

Yeah, they're really not. They're pretty stressful ngl, but if you do everything the teachers give you and find a good study playlist, you'll be fine. I've been using the same playlist every time I need to study or get work done fast since freshman year and I don't listen to it any time else low-key it makes me sad and nostalgic. If it helps you, have different playlists that you use for studying for different things, by subject or by impact

@HighPockets group

Finals….honestly aren't that bad? Granted I'm a very good test taker but if you read your notes, do your study guides, and do the voluntary work you should be fine.

Yeah, they're really not. They're pretty stressful ngl, but if you do everything the teachers give you and find a good study playlist, you'll be fine. I've been using the same playlist every time I need to study or get work done fast since freshman year and I don't listen to it any time else low-key it makes me sad and nostalgic. If it helps you, have different playlists that you use for studying for different things, by subject or by impact

As long as you manage your workload and study times you should be fine. Honestly the weeks leading up to finals (when you get piles of study materials) is worse than the tests lol

@Pickles group

Find good, reliable websites for flashcards and study tools. Personally I like Shmoop and Sparknotes as help for English classes, since they break down characters and scenes from books also if you need any help with understanding Shakespeare stuff for class just pm me lol, or I guess for some classics stuff in general.

Quizlet is good for history and science, particularly vocab because students who have taken the class before you generally take all the worksheets and study guides and turn them into a Quizlet. Usually they're not too hard to find. A lot of times just searching the question and the word "Quizlet" will bring up a bunch that have a large overlap with what you're filling out. Idk if y'all already knew that though lmao
Making one yourself is good to study too. Plus they have a bunch of different ways to help you learn the material so yeah the kids at my school like it a lot
If your teachers use Kahoot, ask them for the link so you can play it on your own in two tabs on your computer or on two different devices. Or just scroll through the lineup of questions and test yourself like it's a multiple choice test

@Pickles group

Finals….honestly aren't that bad? Granted I'm a very good test taker but if you read your notes, do your study guides, and do the voluntary work you should be fine.

Yeah, they're really not. They're pretty stressful ngl, but if you do everything the teachers give you and find a good study playlist, you'll be fine. I've been using the same playlist every time I need to study or get work done fast since freshman year and I don't listen to it any time else low-key it makes me sad and nostalgic. If it helps you, have different playlists that you use for studying for different things, by subject or by impact

As long as you manage your workload and study times you should be fine. Honestly the weeks leading up to finals (when you get piles of study materials) is worse than the tests lol

Ugh yeah and half your teachers are like "this is optional" but you procrastinated the not optional stuff so you don't have time to do the optional stuff and you end up losing an easy like five or ten points on those class ones and you hate yourself because you could've done so much better and raised your final grade in the class too-

@HighPockets group

Finals….honestly aren't that bad? Granted I'm a very good test taker but if you read your notes, do your study guides, and do the voluntary work you should be fine.

Yeah, they're really not. They're pretty stressful ngl, but if you do everything the teachers give you and find a good study playlist, you'll be fine. I've been using the same playlist every time I need to study or get work done fast since freshman year and I don't listen to it any time else low-key it makes me sad and nostalgic. If it helps you, have different playlists that you use for studying for different things, by subject or by impact

As long as you manage your workload and study times you should be fine. Honestly the weeks leading up to finals (when you get piles of study materials) is worse than the tests lol

Ugh yeah and half your teachers are like "this is optional" but you procrastinated the not optional stuff so you don't have time to do the optional stuff and you end up losing an easy like five or ten points on those class ones and you hate yourself because you could've done so much better and raised your final grade in the class too-

The optional stuff is usually pretty easy too, or something where you could crank out a few optional worksheets during a study hall.