Students Share Tips for Thriving in High School

MHS students visited middle schools to share tips and advice about high school. (MFEE photo).

This June, several hundred 8th graders across the Montclair Public Schools are saying goodbye to middle school. They are excited, relieved…  and definitely nervous (even if they don’t show it).

MPS teachers and guidance counselors work hard to prepare students for what comes next, but there is one group of folks who are uniquely qualified to give advice about high school: current Montclair High School students. 

MFEE learned from its “Life After High School” conferences that, for 8th graders, hearing from actual high school students is a game changer. So MFEE piloted a new approach: bringing students to each of the middle schools to share their experiences and advice.  

The goal of “Next Stop: MHS” is to help rising 9th graders feel a bit more prepared, a little more excited, and hopefully, a lot less nervous. 

At each middle school visit, high schoolers first answered the question: “What is something you know now that you wish you had known when you were in 8th grade?” Then they fielded questions from the 8th graders. At Renaissance and Glenfield, these assemblies were followed by small-group conversations.  

The assemblies and conversations covered a range of topics, including clubs, social life, and homework. Here's some advice shared by the high schoolers:

On friends, frenemies, and sitting next to strangers in class:

• No one has any idea what they are doing when they get to 9th grade. You look around and think “I’m the only one” but, really, everyone is equally nervous and feeling lost.
  

• Everyone winds up in a class where they don’t know anyone. Talk to the person next to you. Even if you don’t wind up friends, you’ll find some cool people in all of your classes.
  

• Don’t be afraid to drift away from friends who aren’t good for you. You can lose the toxic relationships and make better ones.
  

• The high school is so big, and there are so many different things going on, you’re going to find your people. Everyone does.

On clubs and sports:

• Go to the Club Fair at the beginning of the year, and see what the options are. Also, all of the clubs give out candy at the fair!

• The clubs are great and low key. There is even a “Squirrel Watching Club.” You can try one out and then stop if you don’t like it. You can join a new club at any point in the year. Since they all meet during lunch, it’s easy to check them out.

• If there’s a club that doesn’t exist, you can start one. You need a teacher to sign on as the advisor, but the teacher doesn’t have to have any interest in the club.  (Again, the Squirrel Watching Club).

On classes, homework, and academics:

• Ninth grade is the easiest year in terms of work and homework. So do the work so you start off strong, 'cause it will get harder. 

• But, also, don’t stress about the work. Since it gets harder, enjoy 9th grade and do different things like try new clubs and sports.

• Take your classes seriously. Teachers pay attention if you don’t do your homework, and by the time you care about your GPA for college, you’ll wish you had paid more attention to it sooner.

• EVERYONE goes to extra help during lunch. Even if you’ve never done extra help before, definitely do it in high school.

On teachers:

• Build relationships with your teachers. It doesn’t have to be deep, but make an effort to be respectful and show that you care about the class.

  
  

• The teachers WANT you to do well. If you’re having a hard time in a class, definitely talk to the teacher - it makes a big difference if they know you are trying.

• If you’re planning on college, you'll need recommendations from teachers. It is easier to ask them if they know you and know you work hard in their class.

  
  

• You’re not going to like every teacher, and one student could love a teacher and another student can hate that same teacher. But everyone finds ones they really like.

And, finally, some extra words of wisdom:

• "The best thing about going into 9th grade is that in 8th grade, I would get dressed in the morning worrying about whether I was the only one who would be wearing shorts.  When I got to high school, I realized it was so big, there’s always someone wearing shorts. What I wore really didn’t matter to anyone but me.”
  

• “It took me a while, but I realized I was better off hanging out with people who had the same values as me. It made me a better person, and it helped me deal with stuff that was hard.”
  

• “Everyone gets lost the first week, but then everyone figures it out. You learn to ask for directions, and it’s not a big deal.”

MFEE is grateful to our middle schools for collaborating with us to host these sessions. And we’re even more thankful to the many high schoolers who volunteered their time and insights. And, finally, thanks to our 8th graders for being brave, resilient, and curious about what comes next!