She also emphasizes keeping track of hours at the beginning of the year so students can ensure they finish on time. Juliana recommends starting early and keeping an organized schedule. “Again, don’t pick something that is going to look good on a transcript or impress someone at an admissions office.”Īlong with choosing classes, students must choose a service site to volunteer at for their sophomore year. “It’s important to have a very well-rounded education before you go to college just so that you are prepared for anything that is thrown at you,” Juliana said. Senior Juliana Cui recommends having a well-balanced schedule that reflects students’ interests. Unlike freshman year where students are required to take certain prerequisites, students in their sophomore year are given more freedom with the classes they choose. When most students think of freedom and choosing from a larger selection of classes and service learning, sophomore year is what comes to mind. “Friday night I’ll go out with my friends, and Sunday night I’ll go out with my grandmother, and then the rest of the weekend I spend working.”ĭuring freshman year, students must also decide whether they prefer to take four or five majors. “I take one day of the weekend where I don’t do any work, and then the rest of the weekend is work time,” Gershon said. While clubs and extracurriculars are a great way to meet new people, Gershon emphasizes the importance of spending time with family and friends and not overbooking yourself. Discussing ethical solutions to a given scenario, the Ethics Bowl team becomes a close-knit group working together to present and debate their ethical stance. Gershon Stein, senior, joined Ethics Bowl his freshman year to meet new people and become acquainted with the U-High community. Freshman retreat was also a place where I made a lot of friends,” Devyani said. “I think joining a bunch of activities and just putting yourself out there is really important.
According to Devyani, it is important to find those who will be there for you and to always stay true to yourself. Senior Devyani Dharaniragada was new to the Lab community her freshman year and joined a lot of activities to make friends.Ĭomparison was something that Devyani struggled with, especially since U-High is a very competitive environment. “Remember that you will make friends and you will have close relationships, it just might take a little bit of time.” “You’re going through a very difficult, rigorous curriculum and you don’t really have a lot of close friends to talk to because it takes time to develop friendships,” Gershon said.
Gershon, who was new in his freshman year, joined the Ethics Bowl club to meet people. One of the best ways to adjust to this new environment, according to Gershon, is by finding a close group of friends through clubs and extracurriculars. “It is an adjustment year, and you need to let yourself adjust to high school.” “Looking back, I don’t know anyone who thought freshman year was the best year of high school,” senior Gershon Stein said. Freshman year offers new opportunities, classes and social situations, which is often a big adjustment coming from middle school.