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what advice would you give your freshman self?
anjali singh
Akash Dasgupta
"Pursue any interests you think you might have right now. A lot of the stuff that I got interested in that I really like right now ... I didn't get to do until my junior year, because I put them on the side burner in place of other things. I enjoyed practicing art and calligraphy on my own at home [but] I really didn't do all those [activities that] I enjoyed in middle school and high school [that year], I just stopped them. I forgot those are really good ways to de-stress and rejuvenate. Reserving time to do things that are in your interests, that are not academic, [is] so very important to do.”
Anshul Dash
“When you're choosing classes, go with something that will benefit you in the long run. I think there are many opportunities that you can get to learn more about courses, like [the] Course Information Fair. That's a perfect opportunity for students to go and ask teachers about what they can learn from the course and what they can get out of it. Based on the information [you] get, [you] can make a decision of whether you find that subject to be interesting.”
Katherine Nguyen
“Find a group of people that you want to be around. When I came to high school, I didn't have any friends that I knew and I [joined friend groups] where I felt very isolated … [But] there's a bunch of really interesting people that you're going to meet in high school and you'll definitely find a group of people that you'll actually feel comfortable being a part of.”
Kush Gogia
“People should really enjoy their time in high school. It's not all about academics or just being in school, but it's also about your life outside of school. High school gives you much more independence than middle school does, so you should really enjoy it. I'[ve] only been to one sports game throughout my entire high school experience and I wish I'd been to more because that one game was actually so great. Talking to people that I've never even known before, we were all just bonding together over a fun basketball game.”
Matthew Yeun
"Don't bite off more than you can chew. When you're deciding classes, just because everyone else is doing it, doesn't always mean you should too. I learned in junior year that I chose a particularly difficult schedule that I regret because I wasn't able to balance everything. Take courses that you're interested in and that you think you're good at. But don't take a class just because everyone else is doing it.”
Neha Obilisetty
“It goes by really fast, so cherish it. Go to all the rallies or the football games or the dances. Be really proactive in high school because it goes by really fast and you'll regret it if you don't.”
Rebecca Halcin
“Don't deny opportunities and say yes to different experiences. If you want to go to a club, just see what the meetings are about, maybe it will interest you more than you think and then you'll join and it will be a really good experience. Athletics is [another] great way to make long lasting friendships. If someone asks to hang out, say yes [and] have a good time. Because some of the most unlikely of friendships have formed by me just being like, ‘Oh yeah! Wanna hang out?’ Just don't restrict yourself or hold yourself back from different things."
Sowmya Renukuntla
"You do you. Monta Vista is a super competitive school and it's super easy to get lost in the nature of the school. From my personal experience, I'm a business major, but a lot of my friends are going into STEM and they took AP Bio [and] AP Chem and I just decided to follow in their footsteps without really understanding my own needs and preferences and passions. Do what's right for you. Do what's best for your mental health ... High school is something that you should be able to look back on and think, 'Wow, those were some of the best years of my life.'"
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