I remember my first day of freshman year. It was a little scary, somewhat confusing, and extremely intimidating. I walked onto campus with no idea what to expect. I quickly learned that high school had a different feel. I had to do things on my own.

However, what I’ve noticed is that quite a few freshmen don’t realize that they have to be independent. They are still expecting their teachers to tap them on the shoulder and tell them what to do. This just isn’t possible. Not when they have 100 or more students.

Now before I start, I’m just going to tell you that I absolutely love freshmen. In no way am I trying to put them down. I just feel that they could use some perspective.

I know that when I was a freshman, I took every opportunity to talk to my counselor, and to talk to teachers. I wanted to find out what classes I needed to be taking and what I needed to accomplish. I see this year that there are some freshmen who will not take this initiative.

In fact, when I questioned a freshman girl about her poor academic habits, she said that she wasn’t told “about credits or requirements at all.” My response was, “Why didn’t you ask?” And I’m not just asking her that question. I’m asking all the freshmen that don’t know what they’re supposed to be doing.

Freshman year, believe it or not, is a very important year. I didn’t say it was the most fun, but it determines the fate of the rest of your three years. Another freshman I talked to claimed that he didn’t “think freshmen year was that important.” He said that “it’s a year when you can kind of slack off.”

Okay, that’s true, if you want to be making up classes the remaining three years. Almost every class freshman year is required for graduation. Science, math, and English are critical classes that should be passed. If these aren’t passed, they will have to be made up. This puts you further behind each year. So yes, it is important if you want to be able to enjoy high school, especially senior year.

Being a senior, I realized what my main priority was, my career. What was I going to do with my life? What am I passionate about? When I signed up for my classes, I chose classes that represented what I want in a career and classes that allowed me to pursue my hobbies.

I have four electives and two core classes that I absolutely enjoy. However, I see seniors who are taking up to eight classes and they don’t enjoy any. Don’t fall into that category. Work your butt off freshmen year so you can enjoy your senior year. Even if you have a friend that occasionally slacks off, tell them that they need to be more serious about school.

Regardless of whether you think it’s “cool” to get good grades, your future is always at stake. Don’t fall into the habit of saying to yourself, “I’ll make it up next year.” Before you know it, your senior year could be a year full of credit recovery, taking unenjoyable classes that you’ve likely taken for three years. Pass it now; don’t worry about it later.