Unraveling freshman myths

September 9, 2019 — by Apurva Chakravarthy and Anouk Yeh

Four freshmen share the myths and expectations about high school before entering freshman year.

Transitioning from middle school to high school is never easy. A new school comes with a new campus with different rules and different expectations. Unlike middle school, high school moves at a faster pace and gives students more freedom to explore their interests. For many freshmen, the first day of high school not only brings excitement, but also nervousness and worry. The Falcon asked four freshmen — Ethan Kung, Irene Frazier, Risha Desai and Arlan Visser — to share their ideas and expectations about high school. Seniors George Bian and Jolyn Tran gave their responses. 

 

Q: What were your social expectations for high school?

Kung: Honestly, I thought there would be some sort of social hierarchy that would happen with the upperclassmen since we were freshmen.

Frazier: I was really scared when I was going into high school, because I was like, am I gonna have any friends?

Visser: I didn’t grow up here, so my expectations for high school was based around movies like “High School Musical.” I totally expected to walk in and see little pods of people.

 

Upperclassmen responses: 

Bian: I think Saratoga is an especially unique place in the sense that there is a strong sense of community here. Even though there were difficult times in high school, I would 100 percent turn back time and do it again.

Tran: If you are involved in extracurricular activities like clubs, sports or music programs, you’ll definitely find someone with the same interests as you. From there, making friends is easy! Upperclassmen are all pretty nice and are ready to talk to you if you want. Although there definitely will be occasional drama, it’s nothing to be afraid of and you’ll find your groove very soon.

 

Q: What were your expectations of high school academically?

Desai: In eighth grade, in the last week, I realized that high school was going to be a lot harder. I thought it was going to be really hard. Like, on the first week, we’d have five tests.

Frazier: I thought that I was going to be left behind here, because I thought that everyone here was going to be so smart and so much better at everything.

Visser: Oh, I knew it was going to be really hard — there’s such a reputation surrounding this school. When I came here, I had no idea that I was going to a school this prestigious. 

 

Upperclassmen Responses:

Bian: Although there is a lot of academic pressure at Saratoga and there will be moments of struggle, ultimately high school is an extremely worthwhile adventure so make sure to treasure all the fun moments while they last. You got this, high school will be as great as you let it be!

Tran: Try your best, go with the flow, and you’ll be fine! Definitely go at your own pace and don’t compare yourself to anyone because you’ll only be tearing yourself down. Value your own strengths and have fun! This school might have a reputation for being an academically rigorous environment, but as long as you do you, you’ll be OK!

 

Q: How has your experience been so far?

Visser: My expectation was actually not how my experience went, and I was actually really happy about that. There weren’t the nerds in the corner or like the jocks on one side. Socially, it’s way more fluid here, which is awesome. 

Frasier: Everything worked out really well. I have lots of friends and my experience has been great so far. I was able to make the football team and do all the sports I wanted to do. 

Kung: I came in, and then I realized that everyone was very supportive, and it was like one big family.

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