Blindly going into a new school year can be scary, and every student has at least one regret. Luckily for you, the Cat Talk staff has talked some of Millbrook’s best and asked them, “If you could tell yourself one thing before you started your previous school year, what would it be?” Read below to hear what advice your peers would give you!

To the rising freshmen, first of all, welcome to Millbrook High School! These four years will definitely be important ones. We are happy to have you join us Wildcats (and we hope you can join the Cat Talk staff next year). But first, here is what the rising sophomores would like to advise you.

Make sure to really apply yourself in all of your classes. A lot of people think freshman year doesn’t matter and won’t hurt you in the long run, but that is not true. Apply yourself.

-Ben Burris, rising sophomore

High school can be scary, but joining a sports team or club is one of the easiest ways to make new friends and become a part of the Millbrook community. Getting involved allows you to find people you can talk to and fit in with to help make high school as easy as possible. Joining a club or trying out for a sports team can make all the difference.

-Elena Rehberg, rising sophomore

Expand your friend group, because throughout high school people change and grow apart. Be willing to do what others won’t so you can have what others can’t.

-Abby Gelband, rising sophomore

To the rising sophomores, this will probably be the year where you will realize how difficult high school can be. It will be a challenging year, but it will also be an amazing year for you. Here is what your past sophomores would like to tell you.

Time management is huge–especially when it comes to the personal project and AP class reading. With the Personal Project, choose an interesting topic and a fun product. AP test prep books are super helpful to have throughout the year. Go to basketball games, football games and track meets because this year will only be no fun and stressful if you make it that way.

-Kiana Stotts, rising junior

Sophomore year is one of the most important years of high school. Managing your time well will allow you to stay ahead in the classroom. Also, have a group of friends around that have a good influence on you and that you enjoy. Live a little, but make good decisions.

-Casey Carnevale, rising junior

Be as involved as you can, and find your niche. Find what you’re good at, and also have an open mind to new things like clubs, activities, etc.

-Loujain Al Samari, rising junior

Always start on your work as early as possible.  For long-term projects, pace yourself with an itinerary or a schedule.  Procrastination is a very hard habit to break, but you just have got to push yourself to do it right away.

-Ward Caroll, rising junior

To rising juniors, you are now an upperclassman! You now feel like a ‘worthy’ member of the Millbrook family, but that does not mean you are relaxed by any means. This can be the most stressful year of high school with college tours and an intensified schedule. Luckily the rising seniors have some advice for you.

As soon as you know it, you’ll be applying for colleges. This year have fun, don’t procrastinate and stay involved. But stay focused on what truly matters, and don’t rush the year. Make great memories that you’ll always remember!

-Ahyonna Pitts, rising senior

Tour colleges early, because once senior year comes around you will be too busy to go on tours, and you could end up missing out on opportunities.

-Grafton Potter, rising senior

Make sure that you do your best, and try your hardest on all assignments. Manage your time wisely to balance the workload and have fun. Also make lots of memories, because the year flies by.

-Torrey Salas, rising senior

Look at the teachers that each class has and determine what is the right fit. Along with that, always make sure to have one fun class that will allow you to kind of take the stress off just for a period.

-Ian Pearlswig, rising senior

Don’t procrastinate! Take your SAT and everything on time! It will really benefit you. Talk to your counselor and ask for classes that will help benefit you in the long run. Lastly, do your best not to be late!

-Adja Ndiaye, rising senior

To the rising seniors, you are almost done! We will be sad to see you go, but we know that you will make this last year at Millbrook count. Before you begin your last first day of high school, the Class of 2016 would like to give you a few keys to success to finish off your high school career.

You have to maintain balance between everything you want to do this year. You’ll want to do well in school, but also get the most out of your last sporting and social events. If you need to get things done, don’t wait – you’ll regret it when you don’t have any time later. Netflix is a fun distraction, but remember you can’t get those hours back, so be careful.

-Chloe Schultz, rising college freshman

You will never regret getting to know your teachers. Forget about college applications and teacher recommendations for a second: there are teachers at Millbrook who are both incredibly caring and genuinely interesting to learn from (and about). You know how you’ll see graduated seniors come back to visit their favorite teachers during breaks and how those teachers are always thrilled to see them? Be that kind of student.

-Cole Villena, rising college freshman