THE FALSE FEAR OF FRESHMAN YEAR

By KRISTEN BOERKE

Students entering a new school knowing they will be the youngest in the building can be quite frightening.  New experiences, new friends, more freedom, and false expectations are on the horizon.  Freshman year could possibly be one of the hardest transitions a student will have to face whether heading  into high school or college.  Change can be scary, but it is important to remember one thing:  you are not alone.

KRISTEN BOERKE FOR THE WIZARD WEEKLY

There are many rumors that fly through a freshman’s mind before entering the high school:  Freshman Friday, getting stuffed into a locker, not fitting in, the impossible workload, and the dreaded upperclassmen.  Many stigmas attached to freshman year actually turn out to be false.  For current WHS freshman Amanda Murphy, her biggest concerns were getting lost, not knowing how things worked, and the aforementioned upperclassmen.  In addition, she had heard rumors of Freshman Friday, a myth that the upperclassmen bully all of the freshmen on Fridays.  Emphasis on myth. 

In reality, Murphy, along with most of the 2021 class, has come to realize that Freshman Friday does not occur; no one is cruel enough to shove someone in a locker.   Besides, our lockers are too small to fit an actual human.  In fact, the underclassmen have learned that high school isn’t as scary as they thought it would be.

Starting out as a freshman in September is a lot different compared to being a freshman for nearly half a year.  Murphy expressed, “My opinion of being a freshman now is that I really enjoy it and it’s not as bad as I thought it was going to be.  I have met a lot of new incredible people and made new friends through sports.  Having the opportunity to have certain classes with upperclassmen like my health class for example.”  She went on to say, “Also being a freshman now, I have more freedom and am open to more opportunities than just being in the middle school.  I don’t have to worry about getting lost anymore and I know the school pretty well by now.”

The fear of being a freshman is not only for incoming ninth graders, but also for seniors about to become freshmen in college.  Brianna Lawless is a WHS graduate and current freshman at SUNY Brockport.  When it comes to college students, more factors play into the fear.  For Lawless, being a freshman the first couple of weeks was the hardest as she was five hours away from home and greatly missed her friends and family.  However, Lawless now enjoys being a freshman. “It’s really nice meeting new people and getting involved with the community at Brockport,” she expressed.

Both Murphy and Lawless are involved in athletics.  “At first, joining a team was a little terrifying because I didn’t know the coaches and I wasn’t sure how the upperclassman were going to treat me because I was a freshman.  They ended up being super nice, helpful, and supportive.  I had a great cross country season and I met so many new incredible people from the sport,” Amanda shared.  In Brianna Lawless’ opinion, “Joining a team as a freshman is probably the best thing that can happen.  You’re automatically given friends that welcome you onto campus and really make you feel comfortable.”

Elizabeth Allegro is a current junior at WHS who thrives each and every day.  Allegro’s advice for future or current freshmen would be, “You have a chance to start all over in the high school.  Join clubs, go to sporting events, study, make new friends and don’t let being nervous keep you from great opportunities.  Also reach out to people that you would never normally talk to.” 

Get involved with whatever your school has to offer.  They say that high school and college will be the “glory days” so don’t waste them with fear.  Embrace your year!