Before starting high school, many freshmen expected it to be stressful, overwhelming, and completely different from middle school. Stories from parents, older students, and social media often made high school seem intimidating. However, after almost finishing their first year, many freshmen say high school was not nearly as scary as they expected.

“I thought it would be really hard and really different from middle school,” freshman Emily Ballou said. “But it actually turned out to be pretty easy. I made a lot of friends, and tennis was really fun.”

For many students, one of the biggest surprises was how quickly they adjusted to their new environment. Between classes, sports and meeting new people, freshmen slowly became more comfortable throughout the year. Instead of feeling nervous every day, many students found themselves enjoying high school more than they expected.

“I thought high school would be scary because of the people,” freshman Tinley Tanton said. “But honestly, it feels a lot like middle school. There’s really nothing to worry about.”

Although both students had similar expectations, different things influenced the way they viewed high school before freshman year began. Ballou said her parents shaped many of her expectations, while Tanton said social media made high school seem much more dramatic and stressful than it actually was.

As the school year comes to an end, both freshmen say they would encourage incoming students not to be too nervous about starting high school. After going through it themselves, they believe the experience is much easier to adjust to than many people think.

“Don’t be scared to talk to people, and just enjoy it,” Ballou said.

“It’s nothing to stress about,” Tanton said. “Once you get used to it, it can actually be really really fun.”