DO’s and DONT’S

DO: “Join Sidwell crew.” – Senior Emi Nyhan 

DO: “Do your homework on time, don’t procrastinate, do use your free periods and extension periods so you don’t feel overwhelmed.”  – Sophomore Priya Khanna 

DON’T: “Don’t procrastinate your work, you will regret it.” – Sophomore Simrin Kundra 

DO: “Talk to your teachers and always ask them for help if you need it. Utilize your free and extension periods.” ​​– Sophomore Camille Kountoupes 

DON’T: “Procrastinate, skip/be late to class, or forget to sign in and out.” – Sophomore Camille Kountoupes 

DO: “Make sure if you’re confused, talk to your teacher about it and meet with them. Don’t just sit there in class confused if you don’t want to ask them in class otherwise there will be worse results.” – Sophomore Erykah Poole 

DON’T: “Don’t procrastinate on homework.”  – Sophomore Elliot Goch 

DO: “Spend your free periods doing both homework and with friends. Split it about evenly, but know when you have things that need to get done.” – Sophomore Elliot Goch 

DO: “Study and ask for help when needed.”  – Sophomore Alexis Larson 

DON’T: “Don’t lose sight of time for friends.” – Sophomore Alexis Larson 

DON’T: “Don’t be afraid to ask your teacher questions if you’re confused because they can be very helpful. Don’t procrastinate and leave everything to the last minute.” – Sophomore Kiera Clancy

DO: “Make sure you understand the material and don’t try and learn it right before the test.” – Sophomore Allysa Moore 

DO: “Make time to meet with your teachers.” – Sophomore Jada Washington

DO: “Use your free periods wisely and then you can do fun stuff after school, it doesn’t have to be just homework.” – Anonymous senior 

DO: “Use your free periods for your homework, go to the bottom library and just get it done. Communicate with your teachers and ask for help. That’s what they are there for. Join clubs and sports you are curious about.” – Junior Sasha Schooling

DON’T: “Don’t force yourself to join clubs or sports you are not passionate about just because your friends are doing it. Don’t compare your grades to your friends. I know it’s easier said than done but just put your energy towards yourself.” – Junior Sasha Schooling

DON’T: “Don’t overwork yourself but also don’t take your resources for granted. I know it seems like a lot of your freshman year but everything is out in place to help set you up for when those resources aren’t available to you.” – Senior Maggie McDonald 

DO: “Get your work done during the day as much as possible. Having time in the afternoon for sports, chill, tv, long showers, etc is so much better for your overall health and happiness than waiting to cram all your homework in.” – Senior Maggie McDonald

DON’T: “Don’t take long bathroom breaks. Take one lap around the hall if you need but missing 5-10 mins of class seems chill but can actually set you back and create a strained relationship with your teachers. You never know who might write your college recommendation letter later in life.” – Senior Maggie McDonald 

DO: “Have fun. Go out to dinner on the weekends, goof off in the courtyard, get work done and done well, don’t worry too much about friendships and relationships. It will settle eventually. There is so much life outside of high school and by the end of it you will be such a different person so be the person you want to be now and worry about the future later.” – Senior Maggie McDonald 

FRESHMEN FRETS – And How to Overcome Them 

“I was really worried about the big workload, but I started planning out when I would do my assignments ahead of time and it really helped.” – Sophomore Simrin Kundra 

“I was worried that I wouldn’t do well in my classes.” – Sophomore Camille Kountoupes 

How to overcome: “Pay attention in class, do your homework, work hard, ask questions, be confident, take notes.” – Sophomore Camille Kountoupes 

“A big thing that I worried about freshman year were my exams. Quizzing myself on past homework and assignments helped me overcome those exams and stressed me out less before exam day.” – Sophomore Erykah Poole 

“I was really worried about our midterms, finals, and research papers since I had never done anything like it before, but I overcame these worries by putting in the time to study for all my midterms and finals, and spent as much time as possible writing and revising my research paper.” – Sophomore Elliot Goch 

“I was worried about balancing school and friends. I overcame it by just taking it slow and prioritizing my work and seeing how much social time I could handle after that.” – Sophomore Alexis Larson

“I was worried about a heavier work load which is manageable as long as you stay organized and on top of your work. Use a planner!” – Sophomore Kiera Clancy

“I had problems with completing my assignments, but I overcame it by working harder and having better time management.” – Sophomore Allysa Moore 

“I would say navigating the building, and the homework load was a concern for me. But the building becomes familiar fast and free periods are a life savior.” – Junior Sasha Schooling 

“Grades – I told myself that as long as I am putting in honest hard work that I can be happy about, my grades don’t need to weigh on me. Sidwell and schools in general put a big emphasis on working towards grades not knowledge and if you are able to change your mindset high school will be a lot better.” – Senior Maggie McDonald 

“I worried a lot about my grades and I didn’t really overcome it that much but it helped to be surrounded by friends who were also working hard in class and very supportive!” – Senior Emi Nyhan