Going from middle school to high school can honestly be hard for some people, and everyone goes through it differently. To figure out how people felt about the change, I talked to a couple of students from different grade levels to find out.

“I would say the hardest part about high school is the stress you may feel because of tests or the pressure you can receive from your parents,” said freshman Alejandro Chavez. Even with pressure, he still has a really good mindset. “I would tell incoming freshmen to enjoy their time in high school. Don’t feel pressured or disappointed if something goes wrong; you still have time, and you must use that time wisely.”

Sophomores have mentioned how they struggle. “I struggled a lot with English in middle school because I was never strong enough with English to begin with, but they still put me in IH, which is basically just honors English and social studies. I was good at social studies, but I was never good at English.” It definitely ended up affecting her later on, though. “I still struggle in that class because I never actually learned the basics of English; I just went straight to honors.” It has also messed up her workflow. ” The difference between me in middle school and me now is that back then I turned in homework a couple of days late, now I turn it in almost a week later,” she also added, “The hardest part of high school is keeping up with the homework and not falling behind.”  Lastly, she also added a piece of advice for freshmen, “Don’t procrastinate and do your homework before it’s due.”

Savannah Santiago, another sophomore, had a bit more luck: “A class I used to struggle with in middle school, I would say, was math. Luckily, I do not struggle with it anymore.” She’s also been able to gain more confidence over the years. “The difference between back then and now is that I have gotten more confident, and I have been asking for help with questions.” Of course, we can’t leave out how we all feel about testing: “The hardest parts of high school, I would say, are the exams.” And like everyone else, she added a little note for her to remember, “Just a couple more years to go,” said Savannah.

Juniors have been facing some pressure, preparing for the future. Karen Gonzalez still looks back on her struggles during middle school and now. “I used to and still struggle with math,” said Karen. Karen also decided to share a beautiful piece of advice for incoming freshmen: “Stay focused in school, don’t worry about others, stay positive, stay focused on yourself and only you.”

Lastly, we got a senior to give his own opinion on his middle school self, now accompanied by a piece of advice. “I feel like the difference between middle school me and me today is personality-wise, I used to be way more childish back in middle school,” said Matthew Navarrete. He also added, “The hardest part of high school for me, at least, was honestly sophomore year when I had most of my finals. Matthew also wanted to give a piece of advice before he graduates, “The advice I give to incoming freshmen is try your best while you’re a freshman, so later on you can get more opportunities.”

I would also like to add some advice for incoming freshmen. Enjoy your high school years and focus on your grades; it will pay off later on.

Would you like to give incoming freshmen advice? Leave a piece of advice you’d like to share with them in the comments.