LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. — As the sun returns and the beaches come alive with the promise of summer, students wrap up their Advanced Placement exams and bring the 2025-2026 school year to a close. The once anxious freshmen prepare to transition to confident sophomores, ready to make the best out of the next three years of high school. 

At the same time, eighth-grade students take their last steps as middle schoolers with fun promotion activities and fill their heads with excitement for summer. However, behind these entertaining activities and their confident attitudes, many incoming ninth graders have worries and fears about their freshman year. So, what is making these eighth graders anxious? What advice do current freshmen have? 

“The biggest difference is all the options and classes that you’re given, specifically things like AP,” said Ella Tricano, a current eighth-grade student at McAuliffe Middle School.

Though choices such as whether to take honors classes and which electives seem most fun are easy to make in middle school, they become more challenging as the diversity of high school classes increases. At the high school, there are many more options and requirements across math and English courses, sciences, electives and foreign languages. Unlike middle school, the schedules of peers differ tremendously. Although the variation of classes is very important for academic success, it can be overwhelming and confusing to know which class to take. 

“I chose my classes based on the career path I wanted to take in life. Additionally, my classes were chosen in order to balance my school and home life,” said Natalie Dawson, a current freshman at Los Alamitos High School.

Finding a niche is necessary to know which classes will be most enjoyable and beneficial. High school is a time to explore different subjects and discover which areas are the best fit for each student. A big help in this decision is the counselors at LAHS, who assist students in determining the right path. If they are struggling to decide whether or not to take a class, they should consult their counselor; they know the workload and whether it would be a good fit.

Another helpful tip is to set up a rough draft of what the next four years will look like. Thanks to the LAHS Student Handbook, this is already provided for students. Looking at the list of classes and drafting what seems interesting to take and what is needed to fulfill the A-G requirement can help determine which classes to prioritize over the next few years, and the additional courses a student’s schedule will allow them to take. 

“I am probably more nervous for honors chem,” Tricano said.

Chemistry Honors is an example of a class that many incoming freshmen debate whether or not to take. The workload is significantly more than in other classes, and the course content is more rigorous.

“In chemistry, the hardest aspect is being accurate when solving problems,” said Dawson, a student in Chemistry Honors and AP Human Geography.  “In order to overcome (this) obstacle, I put in a lot of my time and effort into (this) class to be able to succeed.”

Another more challenging class that many incoming freshmen decide to take is AP Human Geography, which requires many hours of homework, rigorous tests and the AP exam at the end of the year.

“The hardest part of AP HUG is the amount of information you are expected to remember and be able to apply on the tests,” Dawson said. “I would suggest taking (AP HUG and Chemistry Honors) if you are willing to spend a significant amount of time outside of class to study and complete homework.”

As ninth graders, students are pushed out of their comfort zones as they dive deeper into topics that were only briefly introduced in elementary and middle school. In addition, they must adjust to a much larger student population. With more students on campus, there is often less direct teacher oversight, increasing the accountability placed on students.

“I am nervous about the level of responsibility that comes with our academics,” said Alice Phee, an incoming freshman.

Learning how to study properly is important not only in high school but in college as well. Having proper study habits that work well can determine the grades received on tests and make classes less stressful. Also, the grades students achieve on assignments and exams ultimately determine the grade point average (GPA) of a student, which is extremely important. Some popular study techniques include flashcards, whether on paper or on Quizlet, discussing with groups, note-taking and rereading texts or any additional notes. 

In addition, Managing time effectively can calm stress levels, increase motivation to complete assignments and allow time for high-quality work, resulting in good grades and a happier school year.

Besides academics, incoming freshmen may also be nervous about meeting new people and making new friends, since they may not share as many classes with their existing friends as they used to. 

“I think high school made me realize that I wouldn’t be friends with everyone that I used to,” said Settia Quitugua, a current freshman at LAHS. “But when you meet new people, you see how much stuff you have in common with them.” 

Whether incoming freshmen are nervous about the academic or social aspects of high school, they should not be afraid to step out of their comfort zones by trying new, more challenging courses and introducing themselves to different people. They should join clubs and activities that spark their interests while becoming actively involved in both their school and community.

“Join a group on campus…or just a club on campus that gives you a real community,” said LAHS freshman Natalia Somoano. “You (will) have people you can rely on and they are always going to have your back no matter what.”

The prospect of high school and its increased academic demands may take some time to adjust to. However, students will gradually acclimate and begin to find their new school environment and classes both exciting and comfortable, just as they did in middle school.

“I didn’t feel prepared on the first day, but I (adjusted) quickly and soon grew to enjoy LAHS,” said Gabriel Lazo, a ninth grader at LAHS.