High school can be hard. Some incoming freshman might be excited about the beginning of their high school experience, while others might be dreading it. There are many things nobody tells you before your first year of high school.

I am finishing up my freshman year of high school right now, and I'm going to share with you some things I wish someone had told me before I started. I won't give you a big list of things that you hear every day, I am going to tell you five things that you genuinely need to know. Things that will really help you.

1. Stay organized.

This might sound so cliche, but it really is the truth. In middle school, I could remember all my assignments off the top of my head. I knew exactly what days I had what and when different deadlines were.

I thought that in my freshman year, this method would work, and it quickly hit me like a truck. My grades were dropping from A's to B's, and the number in the assignment category in the gradebook kept getting smaller and smaller. I would forget to do homework and even forget to study for big tests. I started missing online appointments because I forgot what day I had them. I was not staying on top of my work and had become very unorganized. My dad had been telling me from the beginning of the year to get a calendar, but I didn't think I had to. Get a calendar. Make a to-do list. Start crossing off what you did as you go. It will help you so much. It will be much easier to spend an extra five minutes every day writing down your schedule than it would be to beg your teacher for extra credit so you can bring your grade up. Trust me, I would know.

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2. Ask questions.

Has your teacher ever told you, "There is no thing as a stupid question"? If they did, they weren't kidding. I can't even count on my fingers the number of times I was itching with a question, but too embarrassed to ask.

First of all, don't be nervous about your question being stupid or embarrassing. I can assure you, nobody will care. Not to sound harsh, but it is the truth. You will regret it so much later on. I remember once in Biology, I had a question, but I didn't ask it because I was afraid it was stupid or wouldn't make sense, and later on, the exact question I had was on the test. And yep, I got that point marked off cause I had no idea what the answer was. Also, your teacher will notice that you are engaging. They will like that they can see you are trying, even if you don't fully understand it yet. Plus, someone might have the same question you do, and they are also too scared to ask!

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3. Perfection isn't the goal.

Please don't be too hard on yourself. Some of us may think that if we aren't perfect 24/7 or if one little thing goes wrong, we are complete failures. It isn't true.

High school is a learning experience. We learn and grow. There is no way to grow without making a mistake first. There will be times you will get a bad grade, lose a game, or even say something totally awkward (Been there, done that). That is the point. Sometimes you just need to give yourself a little bit of grace and remind yourself that you are a human, too. None of us has it all figured out. If you are only worried about perfection, you are losing sight of things. You will be too afraid to take risks. Aim for progress and celebrate little successes. Show up for yourself and learn from your mistakes.

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4. Peer pressure is overrated.

Some people will start getting into bad things and making bad decisions. Some of those people will probably be your friends too. There will be times when others will ask you to do things you believe are wrong.

They might not even take no for an answer. Let me tell you something. You do not need to do things you are not comfortable with to be "liked". People who try to force you to do things as a way to make them feel better about themselves are not worth your time. Don't be afraid to assert your boundaries. Ask yourself what you are and are not okay with. The people who are worth your time will respect it. Be the bigger person and don't hold yourself back from saying no because you want to fit in. You have nothing to prove to others except to yourself. Show up for yourself.

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5. Prioritize mental health above all things.

We should all take care of our mental health as well as we try to take care of our physical health. High school is scary. You will feel overwhelmed, anxious, sad, and angry.

You will feel all of the emotions. That is okay. You need to show yourself love and truly take care of yourself. It is okay to ask for help. Do it early on. It is easier to try to swim out of the water before we start drowning in it. Try talking to your counselor, therapist, or even just a friend. You deserve so much love and care. Treat yourself as well as you would treat your best friend. If not better. Don't lose hope when things get hard. Your boyfriend breaks up with you, your friend group starts falling apart, and you are dealing with issues at home. It isn't easy, but don't try to keep pushing problems aside until you realize you can't take it anymore. You deserve the world, and you can do this, I know you can.

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At the end of the day, this journey is about figuring out who you are and becoming you. Stay curious and keep moving forward. You will grow in many ways, even ways you can't think of right now.

I really do hope these tips help you, even if it is just a little bit. Be easy on yourself, but still try your best. I already have a feeling you are going to have a good freshman year. Maybe not an easy one, but it will be good. You got this!