Make An Effort

Or, as I like to call this, embrace your inner nerd. Don't procrastinate on your assignments. There is nothing more difficult than waiting until the last minute to write an eight page paper discussing the causes of a major war. (Not that I would know from experience or anything.) Do the work as it is assigned. If you find yourself actually interested in the day's lecture, actively engage in the discussion. Don't be afraid to raise your hand. Classes where students participate are always more fun than the ones where everyone sits around staring off into space. When the students are interested in the subject, the teacher makes more of an effort as well. And if you have the opposite problem, or you don't understand something, don't be afraid to ask for help. A rule of thumb is, if you don't understand something the teacher is saying, someone else is likely having a problem with it too. There's no reason to be embarrassed if you need a little clarification. Most schools will even set you up with a free tutor if what you're doing in class isn't enough to get you comfortable with the material.

Make Good Friends

I'm not in any way saying that your old friends aren't good friends. And I'm not saying you won't have a few bad friends along the way. But what makes the teen years the best time of your life is the people you spend it with. And you might find friends in the most unlikely of places, like when you miss your bus, or while waiting in line for lunch in the cafeteria. That girl you think is weird that sits next to you in biology? Give her a chance. She might not only end up being your lab partner, but she also might end up being someone you can hang out with for the next four years. Or maybe, someone you've been going to elementary and middle school with for years and has always been there will surprise you. High school is the time for trying new things and meeting new people. Don't cut off your old friends, but be willing to meet some new ones.

Find An In

Not necessarily with the most popular clique in school. Just figure out what you like. Plan your extracurriculars around your interests, not the cute guy you meet on the first day. (Or at the very least, don't plan all of the around the cute guy.) If you participate in activities that you enjoy, whether it be sports or clubs, you'll meet people who share those same interests. Not only will you have people to talk to outside of the group of friends you already have, or outside of the people you have classes with, but you'll also have a few activities to write about on your college applications. You don't have to join every activity your school offers, but a few that strike your fancy are good.

Ask For Help

Don't be afraid to admit when you're in over your head. If the work load is too much for you, if you're having trouble with your friends, or even if stress from outside of school is getting to you, talk to someone about it. And if you aren't comfortable going to a friend or a parent for help, that's why high schools have guidance counselors. Admittedly, bigger schools mean larger amounts of students, and the increased likelihood that your guidance counselor won't remember your name the next time you go in to see them, but they are trained to help students through any problem you might have. Even if they can't help you directly, your counselor should be able to direct you to someone who can, or maybe even just talk you through your own solution.

Be Yourself

Probably the most important part of the high school equation, but also the most easily ignored. Don't change yourself completely because you want to be liked or because you want to fit in. People who look back on high school are least happy knowing they spent most of their time pretending to be someone they're not. Everyone has something about them that qualifies as “uncool” to someone else. The trick is to not let yourself care about that. Confidence, as people often say, is key. Be confident in who you are. A confident person is a happy person. And that confidence, as well as that happiness, will rub off on the people around you.

And before you know it, high school will be over and you'll be a proud graduate, ready to move on to the next stage.