The Freshman Experience at BHS

Photo by Aimee

Starting high school can be tough, especially when you’re a freshman wandering the halls of Bellevue High wondering why the school website does not have digital maps. However, after a year of experience, freshmen now walk the halls with confidence. The class of 2029 has learned a lot, so let's hear about some of their experiences and their advice for the future freshmen who will soon follow in their footsteps.

A challenge is presented on the very first day upon entering the school: finding the classroom. The BHS building is much larger and complex than what many freshmen are used to in middle school, and even with a map, running around looking at the numbers on the classroom doors is still a tough task.

“On my first day, BHS felt huge and I was honestly scared I'd never find my way around,” freshman Vanisha Brahmbhatt said.

Locating the classes is not the biggest challenge though, some feel that making a new friend is far more nerve wracking.

“On my first day of school I felt really nervous about meeting new people in such a big school,” freshman Elise Dang said. “A challenge I faced this school year was being confident enough to talk to new people for help or just for friendship.”

It can be tough at first, but persevering through the initial hardships are be worth it. Since BHS is a big school there is a place for everyone. The hallways become much more familiar after a few weeks and BHS’s large club selection will help incoming freshmen make many meaningful memories.

“A highlight this year was all the fun I had in my classes and all the school events,” Dang said.

Figuring out everything alone is difficult, so here is what the current freshmen have to say about managing academic work and stress from challenging classes.

“I wish I had known better time management strategies from the start because figuring them out on the fly made my first semester a lot harder than it needed to be,” Brahmbhatt said.

Keeping a planner or using sticky notes to keep track of assignments in every class can be helpful for managing tasks. Otherwise, the increase in workload can feel overwhelming and cause anxiety. Handling stress is important too and managing these emotions are just as important as keeping track of homework.

“I wished I had known… not to stress myself too much about homework and tests and just to balance everything out,” Dang said.

Starting over is never easy, but the challenges these freshmen have faced this year are ones almost every BHS student knows. By now they have overcome these hurdles and look towards another great year with the hardest part behind them. Next year will certainly be another great year for these rising sophomores with wonderful memories to come.