This issue’s Survival Guide is dedicated to freshmen, but don’t worry, the next ones will have advice for other grades too. Some common worries among freshmen are time management and balancing social life with schoolwork. To ease your anxieties, we have some tips for you!

Make a to-do list. Whether you have a long-term project, a math worksheet, or you just have to walk your dog, a to-do list is a good way to lay out all of your priorities, so you can allot your time accordingly.

Use your planner. While this may seem unnecessary to some, the Bronx Science planner distributed at the beginning of the year is an underrated resource that everyone should make the best of. At the beginning of each month on the planner, there is a calendar, so you can outline any long-term responsibilities you need to take care of. It is also an organized way to keep track of your nightly homework.

Know your limits. If you know you have a lot of work one night, maybe skip going to your club’s weekly meeting, or hanging out with your friends after school so you can get home earlier and start schoolwork. It is better in the long run not to overexert yourself so that you can stay motivated for the whole year. It’s important to be part of extracurriculars, but taking a day off to have a manageable schedule prevents more problems.

Prioritize your work. Try to map out which assignments will take you longer to do, and
get those out of the way first. If you know that your biology project will take two hours and you need a computer for it, work on that first rather than your 15 minute math worksheet. Knowing that you’ve gotten a time-consuming assignment out of the way will take a load off your mind, making you feel more balanced and relaxed.

“Know your limits.”

Try out a new club/Try out for a sports team. A great way to meet new people in a school as big as Bronx Science is through extracurriculars: clubs and sports teams. Try reaching outside your comfort zone and going to a club meeting or athletic tryout that you wouldn’t normally have considered, and maybe you’ll find not only a new group of friends, but also a new interest to explore outside the classroom.

And lastly, don’t get too caught up in the small things. Freshman year can be a challenging time, due to the transition from middle school to high school. Try not to be overwhelmed when you can help it.Take it from us; one bad geometry test grade will not seem so important in the long run. Take everything as it comes, and try to learn a lesson from it – in this case, study more for your test – but don’t let it consume you. These four years will go by in a flash, so make sure you’re enjoying them!

See you next issue!
-Melina and Teddy