Dear freshmen,

I went to my sister’s eighth grade graduation ceremony. I watched adults who graduated from high school decades ago give her class the same cliche advice that every adult gives, so I’m going to do what I do best: tell it like it is.

High school will be stressful, frustrating and overwhelming at times–that’s as close as you’ll ever get to a guarantee in life. But you’ll find that as long as you put in the effort, most things have a funny way of working themselves out, even if it seems like there’s no possible way.

Too many people don’t realize this, but being a good friend is more important than being a good student. This does not mean that it is okay to go out and party with your friends the night before finals. It does mean, however, that if your friend is in a tough position and has no one else to turn to, you should help them before you do your homework. Sometimes it’s worth those late nights studying, but don’t confuse your grades for who you are–your grades only show how good you are at school, not even your intelligence. Still, you never know how far good grades and good relations with your teachers will get you.

Do things now, while you have the chance, because you don’t know what will happen tomorrow.  The things you’ll regret the most will be not going after something you really wanted, whether it be a class you really wanted to take, or a team you wanted to try out for. Every now and then, it´s good to dance like no one´s watching, even if several people are. Many upperclassmen complain about high school, but four years go by very quickly. Don’t waste them thinking only about the next step in life.

On the other hand, don’t be afraid to make mistakes.  Most things in life are at least worth a try.  As our former Model UN advisor once told us, “If you want to do something great, put yourself in a position to fail.” Sure, if you sit back and let life happen, you won’t embarrass yourself.  But you won’t move forward either. And sometimes it’s even okay to do stupid things, as long as you know that when you look back, you’ll remember it with a smile and not kick yourself for your stupidity.

The next four years of your life are almost entirely what you make of them. Until you go to college, high school will be the best and most difficult four years of your life.  Working hard is crucial, but don’t forget to have fun. High school is where you need to master balancing work and fun so that it’s second nature once you get to college. It’s not worth missing out on a social life to take six AP classes and be the president of three clubs. Don’t try to get through any classes alone–it’s not possible. You need your classmates’ help and sometimes Google’s as well.

With that, I wish you the best of luck and that these next four years will be challenging, enlightening and amazing.