Whether you were ready to throw yourself into every sport offered, or terrified to walk among seniors, freshman year is a new and confusing situation for everyone. But no matter how daunting it may be, it appears that most MVHS freshmen this year are having an overall positive experience.
In an email survey given to MVHS freshmen in November with 40 responses, 50% of freshmen would rate their freshman year a four on a scale of one to five so far. 57.5% of students stated that their experience has been similar to what they expected, and 35% said that it has been better than their expectations. Additionally, the majority of freshmen said that they were excited to start high school. “Marching band, and also speech, [I was] very excited for those,” said freshman Fenn Jones. “Also theatre involvement.” 
This is a common sentiment for the freshmen; extracurriculars are a big interest point for high school. Freshmen participate in a wide variety of activities, from football to choir to art club, but the survey shows the most enjoyed fall activity is marching band, with 27% of students saying it’s their favorite. The students also favor football with 13.5% of freshmen preferring it, as well as baseball, softball, and volleyball.
Another aspect of high school that is appealing is meeting new people. Freshman Everett Marshall states that his favorite part of high school so far is “just being able to interact with people and make friends.” These new interactions aren’t just limited to fellow underclassmen. Several freshmen gave eighth graders the advice to become friends with upperclassmen.
High school can’t only be about extracurriculars and relationships, though. Out of all school subjects, physical education. has been the favorite for this year’s freshmen. However, your favorite class isn’t always what you think. For example, freshman Luiza Blacharski expected her favorite class to be choir but it actually ended up being Algebra 1. 
Since it’s only the first semester, freshmen still have a lot of classes to look forward to, especially electives. Blacharski shares that she hopes to take photography, and Jones is excited for digital art.
With excitement often comes disappointment. Even though freshmen haven’t had the opportunity to experience a lot of classes, they still have some desires when it comes to what is offered. Marshall shares, “I kinda feel scared to take the classes I’m excited for because later I might not have any classes I like.”
Everyone has probably seen at least one “high school movie” in their life, and whether it be a Disney Channel Original or 10 Things I Hate About You, they tend to over exaggerate and stereotype several aspects of high school. The media, as well as other people, can skew the expectations of incoming freshmen. Jones says “staying up a lot later, like for school things, is interesting.”
Marshall also comments, “I was really surprised that people didn’t burst into song in the middle of the lunch room.”
It always seems like as an incoming freshman you get advice from adults and upperclassmen, but current freshmen have their own tips. In an anonymous email survey given to MVHS freshmen in November with 40 responses, they had a variety of types of advice. Some have pointers on which classes to take or not, such as “DO NOT have a free period freshman year” or “don’t take AP English” as a freshman. Others offer guidance on behavior, like “don’t be a problem in Mr. Timm’s class” and “just calm down and do your best.”
However, the overall top five types of advice seem to be: take advantage of the opportunities you’re given; don’t stress because high school isn’t that bad; know your place and act like it; make new friends, especially with upperclassmen; and just don’t be annoying.
Overall, freshman year is one of the most difficult parts of your school career. You may hate some of your classes, be scared of teachers, or just feel out of place. But you’ll also get to expand your passions, make new friends, and you’ll hopefully find yourself thriving, one way or another.
