Don’t worry, don’t worry, I tell the freshmen on my bus. That teacher is okay, just don’t worry. Oh, those freshmen. How nervous they are!

However, as I look back at what I was like as a freshman (which was only a few months ago), I laugh. Who am I to advise this year’s freshmen when I was so much worse than they were when school started?

I remember trembling as I walked around the school on my first day. I hunched my shoulders and kept my head down, so I would not be seen. I don’t know what I was afraid of, but I thought it was best to keep outside of the spotlight. Now, I walk with my head up and a smile on my face. There is nothing to fear in the hallways, except for the limited space between students! In fact, I think my reflexes have become better just from traveling through the hallways. I can bob and weave through the crowd like a ninja. One does not survive Morris Hills without learning to navigate the hallways!

Despite overcoming my fear of the hallways, I still scold myself for being afraid of my tests. Once again, I am being a hypocrite. I can tell the freshmen that they should not worry and they should not be afraid, but once I finish this article and close the Word document that I am currently writing, I will go back to worrying about my Analysis and Economics tests.

Also, I almost did not participate in a sport my freshman year. I wanted to get used to how the school worked and did not want to add the burden of sports to my schedule. After thinking about it, however, I decided to join the swim team. That swim season was by far, the hardest and most stressful time of the year. (Oh, and I forgot to mention that it was the time that I met the most people and had the most fun). Joining clubs and doing sports may seem like an immense amount of work (it sometimes is), but the joy that one gets from representing the school is a feeling that cannot be described.

I wish I had my sophomore self to tell my freshman self that I should participate in a sport, that everything would be okay at the end of the year and that I would be happy with my grades. I wish I could have told myself that I should do my best (forgive the cliché) and that my best should be enough for me.

Alas, I was not there to tell myself that. I only had my teachers, my friends, my brother and my parents to tell me that. Hmmmm…, in hindsight, perhaps I did not need my sophomore self to advise my freshman self.

Now, I think the only thing that I wish my freshman self would have known is this one thing: LISTEN!

Well, I guess it’s time to worry (I mean, not worry) about my tests.