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Cindy Tran
Ms. Burris
Senior finale
03/09/16
Freshman Transition
Freshman year is the worst! Many students look back and reflect on their freshman year
with a negative light as a lot of them had a hard time transitioning from being a top dog eighth
grader in middle school to a freshman in high school. From a different environment, meeting
new people can be very frightening and first impressions are very important to most students.
Students are thinking, How do I look? Is my outfit okay? On the first day of school, students
are introduced to new academic standards and policies. From there on, the pressure begins with
many students. It is no wonder why so many freshmen struggle their first year in high school;
they struggle with self-esteem, academic standards, and all the while trying to find a place to fit
in. With all of these challenges, ninth grade students have a hard time transitioning into high
school.
The thought of high school can be very uncomfortable to most students and can actually
be nerve wrecking. Some students worry about new classrooms, classmates, and class schedules
while others are excited for a new year. The concerns vary between not knowing anyone and
being a new student. Both of which can feel intimidating as it can be a challenge for some
students to get comfortable with the new school and opening up to other students. However,
there are opportunities to visit the school before making a final decision on attending (like
college). By doing this, students will get a glimpse of the schools environment and be aware of
what to expect prior to their first day of school.

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With new academic standards, most freshmen find it difficult to adjust as they are fairly
transitioning from middle school standards. They are told that GPA matter and quickly realize
that it is important to keep their GPA in accordance for graduation and college. GPA is the
average grade point overall throughout the four years of high school. Colleges will look at
students transcripts and GPA for admissions. Not to mention, the stress behind keeping these
grades (Carter). There are required standardized tests students have to take such as the ACT and
SAT to enter dream colleges. With that being said, a students success is determined by their own
effort in high school.
Students stress levels fluctuate throughout the school year. Towards each term, students
are frantic and stressed out due to final exams, papers, and projects. Reports says the top three
negative emotions students feel are tired, stress and bored, when it comes to school
(Germanotta). In addition, some students may even feel depressed. There are only a few cases
that a student will seek professional help. Why are high school students stressed out? It is due to
the fact that many students in high school take advance placement courses and those courses
come with a huge load of homework. Most often, a student would stay up late at night to finish
an assignment that was probably given the same day or days before. For this purpose, students
should ask for assistance from the teacher, trusted adults, or friends.
Furthermore, students also have other extracurricular activities such as sports, clubs, or
part time work. Teens need about ten hours of sleep and most students arent getting the sleep
they need to succeed (Conners, Jerusha). Not getting enough sleep can hugely affect the
student's ability to perform well. Having very little sleep can result in the teen feeling sad or even
hopeless (Insufficient Sleep). Therefore students should ease off some unnecessary activities to
manage their schedule.

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One out of every four students have been bullied during the school years (Bullying
Statistics). Bullying is something that most students are concerned about while transitioning in
to high school. Students who are bullied are more likely to ditch class or have more absent days
than a student who is not bullied. Common bullying consists of physical and verbal abuse. Some
students worry about their appearance as it is a factor to why they are being bullied, thus those
students in high school are more drawn to expensive materialistic things such as clothing items,
latest technology, or shoes and for this reason, students try to keep up with the latest trends in
order to dismiss being called out for not having the newest thing. This also lowers the students
self-esteem which causes the student to become self-absorbed with the thought that peoples
opinions matter and lose their focus in school. They start to forget their actual priorities because
they become so accustomed to what others think of them and worry more about how they appear
rather than their education.
Additionally, students may not notice that they are being peer pressure from a friend or an
acquaintance. It happens all the time, whether it is ditching school or doing illegal drugs.
Majority of high school students can relate to being peer pressured once in their lifetime. One
student said, I smoked my first cigarette when I was eleven. I didnt want to but all my friends
were smoking and I didnt want to be out of the group. Once I started I couldnt stop. I was
addicted I wish I hadnt started. I knew it was wrong and I didnt want to. (Your Life
Count). Many students in high school are being peer pressure to do things that they know are
wrong but still allow their friends to influence them. Students need to remind themselves they are
responsible for their decisions and in order to comply with success, they will need to be above
the influence.

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Moreover, dont forget about the assignments. The work load is heavy in high school.
Depending on the classes, some students will have just about the same amount of homework
compared to a college student. However, there are always help during and after school. The
public library is always a great place to go to for tutors and assistance. Several staffs that work or
volunteer at the library can cater to a students need in several areas such as in a research paper,
project, or specific subject class homework, yet many freshman students are afraid to ask for the
extra help they need (Great School Staff). The habit of asking for help can be beneficial as it
can prepare students for college and the work force; therefore students should be encourage to
ask for help when it is needed. There are also many other resources students can go to for help.
College is important; furthering education can bring more knowledge and increase salary
income. Many high school offer several clubs and programs that are created to help students
grow more with their goals and help them understand the steps to get there (Sheehy). Most of the
programs teach students the skills they need in order to be successful in college. As a matter of
fact, students should take the time to look into what their school programs has to offer because it
can open the doors to great opportunities. For example, some afterschool programs that offer
college assistance, help pay for most college application fees and that is most helpful for low
income students.
Ages range between 16-24 years old high school dropouts is lower than more than half
since 1967 (High School Dropout Rates). In todays society, most high school students are
aware that most jobs require a high school diploma. According to source High School Dropouts
rate, high school dropouts are more likely to be involved in a crime. It is important that students
graduate high school because finding a job with a diploma is a lot easier than with no diploma.
For students who do not graduate, they usually are regretful of their choices. "In some ways I

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wish I would have stayed in school," said high school dropout Katie Vance (Lawrence). There
are more opportunities for students who graduate and many students dont realize the
consequences or opportunities they miss when they dont graduate high school.
Overall, the transition for freshman students is difficult. They have to endure the new
environment, school, and people. Students have to find their comfort zone and at the same time
deal with fitting in. On top of that, there is the GPA that is needed, standardized test such as the
ACT for college, and overall outstanding performance for college admissions. Stress will play a
huge role but through it all, they will learn useful life skills like time management, dealing with
self-confidence, and working well with others in a large environment. The completion of four
years of high school and graduating on time will be one of their biggest accomplishments. In my
opinion, high school is worth the experience.

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Work Cited
"Bullying Statistics." Media Kit . National Bullying Prevention Center, 15 Jan. 2016. Web. 11
Mar. 2016.
This article talks about the statistic of bullying. How children feel about being bully.
And how its negatively affect their actions. How there are ways to prevent bullying.

Carter, Christine. "High GPAs, Low Happiness?" The Berkeley Blog RSS . N.p., 12 May 2011.
Web. 22 Mar. 2016.
This article talks about the stress for high school students, The level of stress is in the
high range. They worry so much about their gpa and grades that they feel the pressure.
With these high standards for a perfect gpa number, they are feeling depressed and even
sad.
Conners, Jerusha. "Sleep to Succeed." US News . U.S.News & World Report, 22 July 2015. Web.
11 Mar. 2016.
This article suggest that young teen student arent getting enough sleep, without good
sleep students are not performing so well in school. And this is an huge issue for student.
Not getting enough sleep and make students feel irritable.

Germanotta, Cynthia. "The Emotion Revolution: What We Learned from the Young People."
The Huffington Post . TheHuffingtonPost.com, 3 Nov. 2015. Web. 11 Mar. 2016.
This research is about young teen emotions about school. How students feel towards
school. What they like and dislike. They express the stress they have and why they are

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stress.
Great School Staffs. "The Achievement Gap: Is Your School Helping All Students Succeed? |
Great Kids." GreatKids . N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2016.
This resource talks about schools and the achievement gap. Base on lower income
families and race. How standardized tests score a gateway to a student future.

"High School Dropout Rates." Child Trends . Child Trend Data Banks, 19 Nov. 2015. Web. 23
Mar. 2016.
This Statistic shows the rate of dropouts. And how the dropouts students regret not
finishing school. They explain the opportunities they miss without a diploma

"Insufficient Sleep among High School Students Associated with Variety of Health Risk
Behavior." Sleepfoundation.org . National Sleep Foundation. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
This article talks about sleep among high school students. This source explains how little
of sleep can affect high school students abilities to do well in school.

Lawrence, Nick. "Making a Difficult Choice: High School Dropout Tells Her Story." Charleston
GazetteMail. N.p., 10 Jan. 2014. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.
This journals is for high school dropouts , they explain their story of being a high school
dropout. They all have a similar ending, they wishing they graduated instead of dropping
out.

Sheehy, Kelsey. "Use All 4 Years of High School To Prep for College." US News . U.S.News &

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World Report, 9 Sept. 2013. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.

This article talks about high school and how students can use that high school to prep for
college. That high school is helping student be prepare for college. Base on assignments,
tests and finals.

"Starting High School." KidsHealth the Web's Most Visited Site about Children's Health . The
Nemours Foundation. Web. 10 Mar. 2016.
This source is talking starting school and students express how they feel about starting
school. That it is a common thing to feel nervous on the first day.

"Your Life Counts." Peer Pressure: Some True Stories . Your Life Courts, 21 Feb. 2013. Web.
23 Mar. 2016.
This article talks about being peer pressure. Young teens talks about being pressure to do
things they wish they never do. Many teens talk about fitting in with their friends for their
reasoning to let their peers influence them.