Starting a New School

I started a new school today. Honestly, I would worry before each induction because change is scary. I left for sixth form so I left all my friends behind and went into the great wide somewhere.  What's weirdest? Their snapchats, showing life being the exact repetition of last year: playing on phones in lunch hour in the buildings I am so familiar with. Moaning about the already incresing stress. Rejoicing over the number of free periods.

Starting a new school is daunting. I'm going to attempt to give some advice on how to  manage your new school.

1. Learn where your lessons are before the lesson starts because post-bell stress is insane.
2. Ask for directions. Nobody's going to judge you if you can't find room 105.
3. If you can't remember someone's name, ask. Everyone is doing it and nobody gets offended as we can all only remember a small bunch of names, let alone their a level choices and previous schools.
4. Find a "buddy" before lunch and sit with them. Stress-free seat finding
5. Pretend to have buckets of confidence and know exactly what you're doing. I don't know if I do this for the younger years but it seems to work despite having the odd nervous giggling fit prompted by "oh-my-lord-where-am-I-going."
6. Socialise. Don't be exclusive. Talk to everyone and anyone as there's only a small window for random conversation time in a new year.
7. Try not to collapse into laughter with your science partner when something goes wrong. I can not confirm I have followed this piece of advice.
8. Learn where the most important places are in the school: food, your classroom, your locker, your common room. Learn the names of buildings and the room numbers inside of them.
9. Learn the door codes really fast. It's just embarrassing.
10. Try not to just talk to your old friends if any have moved with you or on technology. These new people are lovely and will be in your life for the next 2/3/4/5/7 years. Stay in touch with your old friends just be prepared to branch out.

Moving schools was the right choice for me. I'm really happy, despite being totally lost most of the time. Everyone's in it together and nothing brings people together like lack of direction.

One last piece of advice, don't tell people you make youtube on the first day. Give them the chance to think you're vaguely normal first *cringes at lunch outburst*

Sophie out.