Essential Tips for a Successful Start to High School: Guide to Thriving from Day One

For any student, the transition from the primary school of so many years to a high school is a very big step on his/her educational journey. Transitioning to high school is yet another foundational step of a student’s entire education career. The thought of starting with high school  for the Year 7 students can be full of apprehensions or even a little daunting for some. 

Transition at any phase of a human’s life is full of uncertainty yet packed with new experiences and new lessons for life. Likewise, in a student’s life starting high school is an awaited opportunity which is full of new learnings, adventures, academic growth and foundational skills that last a lifetime. For all those Year 7 high school beginners out there, here’s some pretty basic yet effective tips for starting with High School. 

7 Important Tips for starting High School

• Embrace the Big Change

Honestly, Primary School life and High School life are two very different experiences, beyond comparison. Life in high school will not be the same, but at the end a very rewarding, insightful and wonderful experience indeed. The challenges, home works, assignments, opportunities here will be bigger, harder yet more exciting. So, brimming enthusiasm and a positive mindset for this next phase in your learning journey, will make it better than ever. As they say change is the only constant, embrace and imbibe it as it comes along.

• Know your School Well

There’s nothing better than knowing your high school inside out. Give yourself some time and also put some effort on your end to get to know your high school better. Be sure to attend the transition events like orientation and student-teacher meet-and-greets. Get to know your teachers, principal, coaches, and school facility staff. With each passing day you will get to know your high school better than ever, and that feeling of unfamiliarity, uncertainty will be long gone.

• Get Organised & Fall into a Routine

As high school students learning to organise your things and following a routine is necessary. Make a priority for yourself to organise your stuff and fall into a routine as per the school timetable by Term 1. Encouragement and little help from your parents and elders learning to get organised is a habit for a lifetime. Take baby steps by:

1. sorting your stationary, books, craft supplies and clothes to wear for school.
2. pack your bag the night before as per your school timetable.

Get the hang of your school routine and plan your day accordingly. Planning ahead and following a routine will give enough time to do your homework, study, read, and spend time with your family. You will be able to do everything without burning yourself out.

• Sort your Extracurriculars

With the big transition from primary school to high school students get access to a wide range of extracurricular activities. Depending on their likes and interests they get to choose multiple activities for themselves. Moreover, students also can join various school clubs available as per their likings. This allows students to bond and make like-minded new friends with similar interests, develop soft skills and discover further about their passions and interests. 

• Start Reading, make it a habit

Reading at age or any phase of your life is always enlightening. New Year 7 students or high schoolers are encouraged to develop a reading habit as a personal development. Experts are of the view that with the eventually increasing studyload in high schools, reading as a habit helps them cope up with the pressure better. Reading increases concentration, vocabulary, comprehension, understanding, and attention span, this helps the students to deal with their academics better. Also the libraries in most high schools are huge, so with the expansive resources around reading aids your all-round-performance.

• Be Regular with your Homework

As said earlier, in high school your study load increases with each passing year. So, homework will become a part of your daily routine, the earlier students accept it the better for them. You will always have something or the other to do every night, be it preparing your assignment, revising for a test or quiz, rehearsing for a class discussion topic. So stick to your routine and make it a point to turn in your assignments on time. Getting the hang of this in your first year of high school will make the upcoming years easier and less stressful.

• Prepare yourself better with extra academic resources

During the transition from primary to high school, academics might not be your primary focus straight away. The big leap itself is so overwhelming, academics does take a slight backseat for the first couple of weeks. But as they say there’s no harm in developing good habits. So keeping in mind the eventual academic difficulty level in high school, experts advise students to consider investing in extra study resources. This will keep you always ahead of the edge in your class.

Are you considering applying for Selective High School? Join Selectivetrial for the best in class preparation courses. For further learning needs and academic insights visit us at www.selectivetrial.com.au/