We all get that same feeling freshmen year, that feeling of independence that comes along when you enter high school. Freshmen year is a time of change and growing-up. You get faced with many decisions that could possibly change your life, but what some kids forgot to remember is their grades.

Many kids get caught up in the hype and excitement of freshmen year, and they forget to remember about there classes. Freshmen who think “failing algebra isn’t that big or deal” or “ I don’t need to study for that bio midterm, no one will care if I have a D on first semester” need to understand that your freshmen year has a big impact on your high school transcript. Getting bad grades freshmen year affects what colleges think about you and your overall high school transcript.

I believe that administrators and counselors should focus on freshmen and try to teach them how to balance everything. Sure, you don’t want to spend your first year at Langley up all night studying, but you still need to try harder then ever to get good grades. There is a healthy way to balance getting good grades and hanging out with friends. We all know that when you are trying to do well in a class there will always come a time when you have to stay up studying, but it is worth it when you wind up with an A.

This is not saying that you can’t go out to the big Mclean game Friday night or out to a birthday dinner, it’s letting freshmen realize that there is more to high school then parties. A social life can only take you so far. After high school there is college, and the thing that will help to get you there is good grades.