Senior Advice to Freshmen: Just Do It

Meghan McMahon '15, Staff Writer

  1. Get involved. You only have four years at Marymount, so make it worthwhile. Whether it’s sports, MUN, being an ambassador, or joining the book club, getting involved at school is the best way to create new friendships and contribute to the Marymount community.
  2. Your grades from freshman year matter. Believing your freshman year doesn’t count is a common misconception, and it most definitely isn’t true. All colleges look at your freshman year grades, and if you slack off in the beginning, it’s really hard to catch up later. At Marymount, your grades determine which classes you can take, so don’t believe your freshman year grades don’t matter.
  3. Ask for help. If you feel like you don’t understand a particular subject, or you can’t understand why you got a low grade on an essay, the teachers are always happy and available to meet with you outside of class. It may seem scary to email a teacher, but everyone at Marymount is super friendly and willing to give you the extra help you may need. Also, go to the math and writing labs. It may seem difficult to give up a lunch or free period, but the older students really know how to polish up a paper or help you with your math test corrections.
  4. Participate in class. The best way to understand and learn the material in class is to raise your hand and speak up. If you don’t understand something in class, it’s likely that other people are also confused, so you should always  ask questions.  Getting used to talking in class is really important, because as you get older, participation becomes an important part of your grades. If you already know how to contribute to class discussions, you’ll do just fine in Socratic Seminars.
  5. Don’t stress out too much when it comes to grades/projects/homework. In school, you should always do your best work and try your hardest. However, it’s important to remember that grades don’t define you. Just because you may have bombed a math test doesn’t mean that you are forever labeled an F.  If you don’t do so well on one particular test in school, let it go and work harder to do well on the next test. Stressing out too much will just make you do worse.
  6. HAVE FUN. You only get to be in high school once, so make it count. Make lots of great new friends. Take lots of pictures and create tons of happy memories. When you look back on your high school experience, don’t just remember all the hard work and various grades you have received, but also remember what made you part of the tight-knit Marymount community.