Get to school early for parking. This point is clearly more for the upperclassmen, but is still an important note to share. With an enormous school, comes an enormous population of students. With well over half of the school being able to drive, parking becomes limited. This is why you should get to school at least 15 minutes before school to find a parking spot. If not, you’ll be the kid driving through each and every parking lot until you find one of the few vacant spots… that’s a staff only spot.

Use your study hall time wisely. Forty minutes. It doesn’t sound like a lot of time, but you’d be surprised by how much you can get done when you’re not gossiping with friends. As teenagers, we have schedules filled with extracurriculars following school. So why not get some homework done during school? This way you have less homework to complete at home and can fall asleep at a reasonable hour.

Get involved at Arrowhead. There’s more to this school than academics. Extracurriculars are a great way to meet new people at our school of over 2,000+ students.  With over 100 extracurriculars, there truly is something for everyone here. From dribbling a ball in basketball to investigating the human psyche in Psych Club, the possibilities are endless. You are bound to find a club or sport that suits you.

Freshman year grades are important. Freshman Year: our first year of high school. It’s an overwhelming year to say the least. There’s a new school to configure, new faces to learn, and new classes to understand. Not to mention, you may be trying to juggle the fourth ball that is extracurriculars in your circus act that is your teenage years. While trying to do this, your grades should be on the top of your priority list. You may not realize this now, but your freshman year grades are just as important as the rest of your grades. The reason is because they all are a factor in your GPA. I’ve seen firsthand how people have been rejected from their dream college because of a low cumulative GPA with freshman year grades being at fault. So start high school strong and finish it strong too because every grade is important.

Go to as many school dances as you can. Homecoming. Prom. These are two big milestones that every teenager should experience at least once in their lifetime. The problem is everyone thinks these dances are just for people who have dates but they’re not. In fact, I’ve gone to three of my homecoming with a group of single girls; it was some of my best memories I have of Arrowhead. From the countless clicks of cameras, to a delicious meal at an exquisite restaurant, followed by a dance full of music for all types of tastes, there’s nothing like high school dances.

Take AP courses. Arrowhead offers AP courses that allow you to earn college credit if you pass the AP exam in May. Yes since these classes are to act like a college class, they can be challenging. However, this isn’t an excuse to not take any of these classes. AP classes are a great way for you to get an idea of how college classes work. Here’s another point I’d like to make: Would you rather spend less or more on something? If you choose to spend less, then you should take an AP course. Because if you do well on the AP exam in May, you will receive college credit. The test is only about $97 per test compared to the $5,000 class you’d have to take in college. Take an AP class and take the AP exam in May because it will help you financially.