Advice from previous freshmen - Weebly



Freshman Composition (E1FC) – Mr. Weil Advice from previous freshmen

Staying organized

Use your planner. If you use it to put all your homework down, you won’t forget any. If you put down all your due dates and test days, you’ll be able to prepare yourself and space your time out beforehand. Then you won’t need to pull all-nighters and look like a panda the next day.—Ada Huang

During the first week, aim to ask two people from each class for their contact information. No matter how much you will yourself to stay on top of everything, things do happen and you should be prepared for that. You might even make a new friend from this.—Justine Berfond

Every night, check your bag so you have everything you need.—Lihui Guo

Don’t forget to check the Stuyvesant home page for schedules.—Tonny Huang

Keep your notes and work for each class separate and organized. It’ll help you study, do homework and projects, and be prepared.—Alan Babushkin

Type up review sheets for every test you take, so when it’s time for the finals/Regents, your study guide awaits you within a click of a button.—Felix Fan

Use your locker. Carrying 5 books at once will not only send you to the nurse, but your notes will get mixed up.—Nusrat Jahan

Making Adjustments

At first you think you can balance everything easily. There may be some genius out there who can do this (though I don’t know anyone who is able to get amazing grades while hanging out all the time). For a normal student like me, I had to figure out how to find that balance.—Lindsay Bu

You will encounter a variety of teachers. The key is to adjust. That might require more work on your part, but it’s worth it.—Jack Haggerty

If you take freshman year seriously and learn good studying methods, it’ll make sophomore, junior, and senior year easier.—Sean Chee

Independence comes with big responsibilities. Your teachers won’t remind you or chase you down the hall for your homework.—Jason Cheng

You might not be a genius in every subject, but that’s ok because no one is expecting that of you. If you get a bad grade on a test, think back on how you studied. Were you skimming your textbook while on Facebook and listening to music? Did you just read your notes on the way to school?—Sarah Min

I like to keep a personal mini-notebook with stuff I didn’t understand that day, and look it up later.—Aimee Rong

Managing your workload

Looking over your notes every night for a few minutes can help you not need to cram the night before the final exam.—Batya Zamansky

A good way to prevent procrastination is downloading an app/extension on your browser that blocks certain “distracting” websites, or you can set it to limit your time per day. Another good thing is to go somewhere else where there are no distractions and will put you in the “zone,” like your nearest library.—Aimee Rong

Take good notes. You may have gotten away with no notes in middle school, but it won’t work in high school.—Matthew Binshtok

I suggest studying a bit every weekend because it actually helps!—Hazel Chan

Before Stuy, school was effortless, but I had to teach myself how to study using index cards, rewriting my notes and reading my textbooks.—Allyson Ho

If you are very good in a certain class and can grasps the concepts easily, focus some time on a class that’s harder instead.—Aaron Mortenson

What I’ve found to work for me is the “every hour break” technique. No extra tabs of Facebook and Tumblr. Instead, I spend the entire hour trying to complete a task. I get so much done, and it’s nice to have that feeling of working hard then getting rewarded.—Lindsay Bu

Worrying about how your next essay will affect your overall average is useless. Recognize weaknesses and work a little harder at them.—Nick Miller

I know you’ve heard of the insane workload and the countless cups of coffee and Red Bull you’ll be chugging to stay up late. In reality, it is completely up to you. If you start your homework early and spread out projects over a few days, it is definitely possible to be finished early.—David Fomenbaum

Always do your homework, even if a teacher won’t collect it. It helps you review what you learned, or even teach you new material.—Katie Mullaney

Hand stuff in on time.—Kevin Li

Social life & activities

You might think joining a sports team or club would take away from your time, but in fact it can keep you focused and teach you good time management. You’ll make friends and have fun, and you’ll be able to concentrate on school work once you get home.—Alen Makhmudov

Stuy has a diverse population filled with people from every background imaginable. I assure you you’ll have some great experiences.—Hudson Lee

Don’t wait to get involved. There’s a list of all clubs/pubs on the Stuy website, and they have emails of all presidents/vice presidents.—Kyle Oleksiuk

In September you’ll feel like you’ll never fit in, but you’ll make your own group of friends, so don’t worry.—Zeshan Gondal

It’s true that Stuy is mostly nerds, but if you’re reading this, you’re probably one too. The good news is there are so many people here that you’ll find your nerdy niche. Debate nerds, band nerds, pokemon nerds—whatever you’re into, you’ll find it.—Arielle Gerber

One thing I wished someone told me when I came to Stuy is not to be so shy and closed-minded. I was very closed off from a lot of people and activities in the beginning because I was convinced there would be nothing for me.—Elizabeth Gorodetsky

Coming from a small school in Queens, it wasn’t easy for me to get used to Stuy. My biggest loss was not making new friends.—Benno Giammarinaro

Clubs & teams help you relax and make friends, including upperclassmen. They give the best advice, since they were in your shoes.—Katie Mullaney

Whether you are a performer or not, do SING! Bottom line is that there is a place for you, and you will love being in an atmosphere with such school spirit. Also, go to Open Mics! Everyone who wants to goes up and either reads or sings or plays an instrument.—Eliza Mitnick

Do something you will enjoy, not what you think colleges want.—Shelley Shin

Academic Honesty

Avoid copying homework. You won’t learn the material, and your friends will look down at you as a parasite.—Adam Dehovitz

Don’t plagiarize. Laziness can get the best of you.—Anthony Varshavskiy

Taking care of yourself/Managing stress

Never stay up late the night before a big test.—Arielle Gerber

Eat breakfast.—Andrew Fan

Don’t get stressed out when you see that low grade you never heard of. Forgive yourself. This is something I wish someone had told me when I was a freshman.—Christopher Kim

Ultimately, your health is more important than any assignment.—Dea Deeton

If you get tired and have trouble staying awake in class, no sugary stuff! It’ll just make you more tired later. Try some Lipton green tea with citrus! Or just munch on something. You’re always more awake when you’re eating.—Annie Zhang

This school encourages individualism and independence, so you’re free to do what you want. It’s ok to do that in social situations too.—Azra Tanovic

Don’t pull all-nighters, and don’t worry yourself when you hear people bragging about a whole week of all-nighters in a row, because it really isn’t good for your health or your brain. You won’t function well the next day, and you will soon feel more exhausted from school than you should!—Helen Nie

Don’t worry about competition with classmates. The real measure is how well you can learn from yourself and improve.—Edith Villavicencio

Take some time to talk or play at the park. This will help you relax, and you’ll be more focused when you sit down to do your work.—Emily Xu

Don’t take so many classes that you can’t handle the load.—Aidan Causil-Baggott

It’s very easy to burn yourself out and not realize. Always be prepared to step away from your work.—Harrison Chiu

The moment you feel a sniffle, sore throat, or migraine, step back. Buy some Purell, drink some Emergen-C, get a vaporizer.—Jamie Lee Solimano

Making the most of your time

Try not to fill up every free period with classes or activities. Use your free periods to chill out and relax. It’s a good way to relieve stress.—James Zheng

Do homework you don’t need your computer for first.—Tali Herzfeld

Your head will most likely be filled with way too much information to figure out, so use your free periods to organize your thoughts/notes.—Anna Qu

The library is the best thing at Stuy. Use it to study or do homework in school and you’ll have more free time at home.--Corrin Offenholley

Go out for lunch sometimes, especially when the weather is nice.—Edith Villavicencio

Try to get in the habit of living a life with less AIM, Facebook, TV, and texting.—Helen Ko

Keep a log of daily accomplishments—a record of our studies and other things. For example, “6/12: I studied Music Appreciation for 2 hours, did my My New York essay, and memorized my English vocab.” The log will teach you discipline.—Omar Amin

Take advantage of your free periods—do some homework, work on a paper, go to the Writing Center (they’re very helpful).—Nazifa Subah

Always figure out what homework you have to get done before you get home.—Deborah Wong

Don’t waste your weekend and study last minute Sunday night. Study small bits throughout the week, and then do a wrap-up on Sunday.—Jennifer Wu

English class reading

Sparknotes may seem like an easy way out, but it’ll mess you up. It’s clear through work quality who has read and who hasn’t.—Edith Villavicencio

Most daily reading only takes about 20 minutes, and when you come to class you’ll be able to participate. A lot of time is spent on class discussions, and not reading just means not being able to do anything. You don’t want to spend the whole class hiding.—Lily Yuan

Read carefully. It will give you more opportunities to participate. It will give you more insight on the work. It will make writing essays easier. Also, you will become a better reader.—Daphne Lu

When you read, you should take notes. I put Post-Its right next to me and would write down notes. This is helpful in preparing for class.—ShengJie Jin

With close reading and analysis conducted in class, you may find yourself becoming a better reader. I still remember how I hated Shakespeare, but after reading A Midsummer Night’s Dream and looking at it closely, I realized my hatred of Shakespeare was due to my ignorance of his language, and I began to love his plays.—Shuo Chen

English class writing

Pay close attention to the guidelines Mr. Weil gives us every time you write a new essay. It helps you structure your work.—Christy Ku

When working on a first draft, just keep writing and don’t stop, so you keep your train of thought. You’ll revise it later anyway.—Stephanie Lin

Creating an outline is really helpful. They’re super easy and fast to make, and it’s a great guideline to keep you on track.—Lihui Guo

If you have a thought one day about an assignment, don’t wait. Just get type it up; spend the last few days organizing those thoughts.—Aaron Mortenson

Write about something you care about. In an essay, work hard on your ideas, and use a thesis that you find to be important. That makes everything easier.—Genji Noguchi

Always be prepared for draft days because if you’re not, you miss out on peer editing that can help your writing a lot.—Shuyi Feng

Learn to revise your writing.—Timotius Sitorus

Use the Writing Center. It requires minimal effort on your part, and the advantages of having professional help with your writing can significantly improve your work and raise your grades.—Adam Dehovitz

Doing last minute work will affect your writing, your grade, and your self confidence. Though it may be hard, try to pick away at the project even from the first day you get it. Split the load into daily chunks, or get the bulk of it done on the weekend, but not too near the due date.—Basant Tyagi

Always proofread an assignment before handing it in.—Christine Zhu

Read your writing to yourself out loud. If it sounds awkward or weird, you should fix it.—Jonathan Yin

Read comments on papers handed back to you. That way, you’ll know what weak spots in your writing you have to work on!—Monica Chang

English class participation

If you have something to say, say it. If you don’t, you miss a good shot at a deep discussion.—John Biswas

Be open-minded to what your classmates have to say.—Yein Kim

I know people are too shy to raise their hands because they’re afraid their peers will “shoot down” their ideas. But more often than not, people will expand on your ideas.—Ashley Zheng

Participate. Information sticks better in your head if you arrive at the conclusion yourself.—Mitchell Teper

Participating in English is especially important because it’s very much driven by discussion. And it isn’t hard either because there really isn’t a “right” or “wrong” answer.—Lihui Guo

Even if you’re shy, this class allows you to be outspoken about your opinions, something you should take full advantage of.—Janie Ouyang

Participate in class discussions. When it comes time to write a paper, you’ll be ready and your writing will improve.—Kelly Chen

Set goals for your self about how many times you have to talk in a week. Then as you get more comfortable, just say what you want.—Jing Huang

By participating you are showing you understand the material, and by asking questions you’re learning. If you’re shy, approach your teacher and explain it, and chances are they’ll be understanding and help. But don’t make this an excuse for not participating.—Jacqueline Chou

English class in general

Be sure to write the “Aim” question every day.—Christy Ku

Never rush yourself for English class. Trying to rush through reading or writing a draft on the train isn’t the right place.—Niaz Ahmed

You should definitely take notes in class even if there is nothing on the board. Important information comes from class discussions, and it might even help when you write essays.—Vincent Huang

Looking at things from different perspectives will help you take pieces of the puzzle to form one bigger picture.—John Biswas

You’ll learn a lot about close reading, editing, and writing. It won’t seem like a lot at first, but by the end you’ll learn a bunch.—Batya Zamansky

Bake for class minutes. They will love you so much more for that!—Annie Zhang

Help & Support

Ask for help. Your teachers will take the time to answer questions and explain anything that seems unclear.—Linda Pak

Something I regret is not going to tutoring more often. They helped me out a lot and were able to answer specific questions.—Maliha Hoque

Big Sibs are extremely helpful. Ask them for anything!—Sharon Chen

Since everyone is in this together, I recommend getting help from others. Form a study group, go to tutoring, ask friends for help.—Mason Sansonia

Go to the Writing Center.—Brendan Fu

Get to know your teachers. We experience a whole term (or year) together. A good relationship with your teacher is important, because it’s easier to learn from someone you know and like.—Julie Kim

One of the greatest people I met at Stuy was my Guidance Counselor, who helped me get through the difficult transitional period. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from a teacher, friend, counselor, or parent.—Izzy Langbecker

Find yourself a strong support group – friends, family, anyone that will be there for you in case you get really stressed and need help.—Maya Shaar

Miscellaneous

Most people despise swim gym, but I had so much fun in it that I started to look forward to it. It’s a free pool every other day!—Stanley Chen

Ask questions, answer questions, do whatever you can to make your voice heard.—Daniel Vignoles

Although Chorus and Math Team mean one less free period, I feel that they enriched my freshman year.—Stephanie Kwan

Even people who seem like they’re on top of everything have insecurities.—Lucy Greider

Don’t cut class. You’ll get scurvy and die.—Ryan Najac (Note from Mr. Weil: I’m pretty sure Ryan was kidding, but you get the point.)

Apples work better than coffee at keeping you up.—Kyle Oleksiuk

Stuy is big, but it’s not that hard to find your way. All the floors, except the tenth, are completely alike.—Linda Zhao

Textbooks and resources are available in the library.—Robert Chen

I think the best part of being here is that I am totally accepted as who I am. At Stuy, you are accepted with open arms.—Cassandra Silano

Look at the walls. Many great opportunities can be found on posters all over Stuy. There’s a big board next to the cafeteria with a bunch of them.—Brian Sapozhnikov

Don’t trust the escalators. They’re really stairs in disguise.—Jay Jiang

Final Thoughts

Some of your greatest friends and experiences will come from Stuy.—Nick Miller

Stuy is a place which encourages you to grow in the direction you choose. Don’t let it limit you.—Genji Noguchi

Grades are important, but what’s more important is using freshman year to find your interests and friends, and to find something you love to do. If I had focused only on grades, I never would have thought about what I was actually learning, and I discovered what I was really passionate about. There are a billion opportunities to explore your interests at Stuy, because people here are fiercely passionate about what they do.—Jane Argodale

The entire 9th grade year is your opportunity to figure out what works for you.—Samson Xie

Being a nerd here is a badge of honor. No one will torment you for that.—Corrin Offenholley

Freshman year will FLY BY! I wish I could have savored my first experiences at Stuyvesant more.—Jamie Lee Solimano

Your hard work and intelligence have opened a myriad of doors for you, so be sure to peer into every one. I was originally lost in this huge crowd of intelligent and kind people. Find your niche, love what you do, and enjoy the time and opportunities given to you. You’ll be alright!—James Kogan

Remember, the point of school is to learn, and what you learn is not always measured by tests and quizzes.—Timotius Sitorus

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