To all the newbies in high school: Remember the path to college begins freshmen year, so make this year count. We’re almost through the first semester and you can almost feel the burn out of all the tiresome students when you walk into a classroom. Don’t give up just yet, slacking off isn’t the best option. High school can be a new and exciting experience for freshmen and they should be out and enjoying every minute of it. Yet at the same time everything should come in moderation you should always find a balance between school and time to mess around. Senior year isn’t as far away as it seems and depending on how well you do when it comes to your grades freshmen year, it can affect you in the long run. A lot of people often make the mistake of winging it on tests and skipping classes without realizing the consequences.

“I never realized how hard it would be to raise your grades, it was really stressful trying to catch up to the rest of my peers and staying after school having to study and work twice as hard to retake tests and projects had to do,” junior Michelle Sosa said.

Your first year of high school sets your Grade Point Average (GPA). Meaning if you didn’t do your best during freshmen year it can be difficult to get it back up. I know what you’re thinking: What’s the big deal? Why should I worry about my GPA right now? Long story short, it’s important to keep your GPA up throughout high school, especially if you plan on going to college. Your GPA is a big part of the criteria that employers and colleges look at to determine how hard working someone is or where their weaknesses and strengths are at.

“When you are low on credits or low on your GPA, what that starts to do is it starts to close doors and opportunities that when you get to your junior or senior year and you’re looking at collages or other plans and it makes you realize that you’re either not on track to graduate or go to your school of choice not to mention your scholarship opportunities are really limited.” East High counselor Karin Mills said.

Having a low-GPA can affect you in the long run as you can lose hundreds or thousands of dollars’ worth of scholarship opportunities and it can even get in the way of getting into your dream college or landing your dream job. Something else your GPA effects is your student rank which is another way colleges and other schools can compare your grades to your peers. If you happen to find yourself falling behind, try to pick yourself back up before it’s too late. So, for freshmen it’s always better to start off strong but if you don’t there’s always time for improvements. Take advantages of the many recourses, teachers and counselors who are willing to help out. “My grades are okay at best because of that next year I plan to improve and stay more focused,” freshman Karen Murillo said.

Make sure to turn in your work and to try your best on tests, procrastinating and skipping classes becomes a habit. It’s better to catch yourself before there’s no going back. Always remember to enjoy yourself during high school and to find a balance. We all need a break once and a while to get though the day, but if you mange yourself and keep yourself in check, it will all be worth it in the end.