The first day of high school is de nitely a memorable one. Walking through the bright, inviting halls proved to be exciting, yet lled each girl with at least a bit of anxiety. Thoughts of homework, teachers, and making new friends swarmed every student’s brain as she entered those double glass doors.

Now that first semester is gone and forgotten and second semester is well under way, the freshmen have gotten the hang of high school. Looking back, however, the environment they were hastily immersed in proved to be a complete culture shock compared to the middle schools and grade schools they were familiar with for so many years. From new friends to different uniforms to more homework, every aspect of school life changes during the transition from eighth to ninth grade.

Time management is a big adjustment with many more opportunities here at Marian for friends, clubs, and of course, homework. “I think the toughest part [about transitioning] was nding the time to nish homework and study while still trying to hang out with friends and participate in clubs and extracurricular activities,” freshman Jolie Peal said.

Different teaching styles and dif cult teachers also seemed to be a big adjustment for the Class of 2019. “I really had to learn what, how, and when to study, because the teacher isn’t going to let you know exactly what’s going to be on the test. You have to pay attention,” freshman Taylor Sterba said.

The atmosphere of a high school setting can be vastly different compared to the “immature” and “disturbing” qualities of a middle school classroom, described by Peal. “[The atmosphere] is way more mature and welcoming,” Peal said.

The unique aspect of an all-girls school proved to be quite an atmo- spheric adjustment as well. “It’s all girls, which was hard to transition to,” Sterba said. Luckily, the girls found Marian’s overall atmosphere to be an improvement, using adjectives such as “bright,” “exciting,” “spirited,” and “amazing” to describe it.

As for those freshmen still strug- gling with this considerable transi- tion, freshman Haley Mercer offered some great advice. “If it’s school, stay organized. If it’s friends, it’ll get bet- ter,” she said. Mercer also mentioned the importance of being involved. “Join a club or sports team. I joined swimming, and it is so easy to make friends. They are all so nice and fun to be around, even at 5 in the morning,” Mercer said.

“Just take it slow and try to nd yourself before nding your friends,” freshman Annabel Foley added.

From tests and quizzes to a crazy social life, things are quite different in high school compared to the days of recess and eld trips, as every Mari- an girl has experienced. Luckily, this difference is an upgrade, according to many freshmen. The Class of 2019 seems to have come to terms with this change as every class before them has as well. The freshman culture shock may be startling, but at least it turns out well in the end.