As the school year starts to amplify, some 8th graders may feel overwhelmed and pressured by the more significant workload. 8th-grader Caroline Chilom says the pressure has increased. “I’ve definitely felt the workload and expectations from teachers increase a lot,” she says. “I wish they had made seventh grade a little harder than sixth so it would have been a smoother transition. It was a pretty drastic change.” With this problem in mind, I asked freshman students if they had any advice for the new 8th-grade class.
9th-grader Elizabeth Quillian stresses the importance of involving your teachers in a study plan. “I would say to make sure you know how to study for your classes. Asking your teachers what they think would be the best way to study is really helpful,” she says.
9th-grader Mary Ellen Dunton recommends utilizing Office Hours as an essential strategy. “The homework is a lot when you first get there, but just try to get everything done and make sure you use your free period well,” she says. “When I first started I was just using it as a fun time to hang out with my friends, but now I realize it’s something where I should actually do all my homework. And use Office Hours well, because in eighth grade I used it to hang out with my friends and now I actually need to talk to my teachers.”
Eighth grade is about trying new things and seeing how much you can handle. 9th-grader Sarah Hargrove shows how ninth grade gets more challenging, so she recommends using eighth grade to find which study strategies work best for you. “Study hard and try different study strategies because if you mess up in eighth grade it’s not that big of a deal,” she says.
9th-grader Celeste Roselli stresses the importance of being organized. Using a planner, setting reminders, managing your binders, and being ready for every class can help you excel academically this year. “Make sure you have a good organizational system in place,” she says. “The homework load increases, but if you have a good system for doing assignments and tracking tests and stuff, you should be able to handle it.”
There is more to eighth grade than just academics. Students should consider the social part of it as well. 9th-grader Jiabo Hu shows how we should pursue our own interests outside of school. “Don’t stay up that late doing homework, because you could do other stuff, like extracurricular activities,” he says.
9th-grader Elizabeth Reid reminds eighth and ninth graders to focus on themselves when choosing classes and activities. Following your own interests helps you develop your personality and become a better student. “I would say to pick your classes and the things that you do in eighth grade and going into ninth grade, just based off of what you like and not what all your friends are doing, because you’re not gonna enjoy your classes,” she says.
9th-grader Nathan Dennis offers some light to those struggling: “Keep going; don’t think this is the worst. You get a lot more freedom, and it’s really just a great time. Keep fighting on. This is not your worst year, but it’s also not your best,” he says.
Overall, 8th graders must use this year to prepare for high school. Finding what strategies work best for you and what activities you enjoy will help when we’re freshmen.