How to Survive the First Year of Middle School

Leaving the cocoon that is elementary school for the larger halls of middle school is frightening. You've probably been with mostly the same kids for seven years and now have to mix with a larger group of students, many of whom you don't know. While intimidating, this time of your life can be very exciting as well. Here's how you can survive your first year of middle school.

Instructions

1. Learn to change classes. In elementary school, you probably changed classes for specials like art, music or health education. In order to survive middle school, you'll have to get used to changing rooms for each class and getting there on time.

2. Adjust to having less free time. Time is already on your mind as you race from class to class, so you're probably looking forward to recess. Don't get your hopes up, because recess is a thing of the past that doesn't exist in middle school.

3. Visit your locker often. Yes, you're probably panicking because you're afraid you'll be late for your next class, but there's no way you can carry all of your books around with you all day. After walking through your schedule, figure out the best times to visit your locker to switch out your textbooks.

4. Prepare yourself for more work. This transitional time in your life will be filled with more independence and responsibility as your workload increases. Your middle school teachers will expect more from you, so get ready for more challenging assignments than you had in elementary school.

5. Expect a new grading system. Your elementary school may not have used letter grades to evaluate your progress; in middle school, that's how your teachers will be marking your report cards. It's a bit stricter than a pass/fail system, so be prepared for more middle ground than before.

6. Try new things. You can't survive middle school on academics alone, so sign up for some clubs or sports. Middle school offers a wider variety of activities and participating in some of them is a great way to try new things and meet new people.

7. Attend every day--every day that you're not sick with the flu or strep, that is. None of the previous steps can help you in middle school if you consistently miss classes, lectures and materials.

Tips & Warnings

• This year learn how to manage your time away from school for your homework and extra studying to accommodate your heavier workload.

• Keep your parents informed of what's going on at school because you can't expect them to support you if they aren't in the loop.

• Review any curriculum guides or middle school handbooks with your parents so that you all know exactly what's expected with absences, dress codes and other pertinent issues.