High School Without the Drama: A Survival Guide for Incoming Freshman

1) Be amused by the petty dramas playing out around you. This way you stay detached and you don't get sucked into them.

2) In order to survive high school, it's crucial that you cultivate some kind of image. Carve out a niche for yourself that won't become a dead end. The village bicycle or jerk-jock persona might get you noticed, but in what way? Think about the impression you actually want to make on people and you'll find it easier to craft your self-image accordingly.

3) Be slightly wary of everyone (teachers, other students, friends etc.) High school is a treacherous place for the wide-eyed idealists of the world. You don't have to be outright paranoid or completely suspicious, just keep your eyes and ears open. Not everyone has your best interests at heart, you know.

4) Take your schoolwork seriously and absorb what you're learning. Though it might feel otherwise, high school won't last forever (Thank god), so it's crucial that you keep an eye on your future and your freedom.

5) Don't let popularity or the possibility of popularity cloud your judgment. It's good to be liked, but always consider the costs of likability. When you consider trading your opinions, your individuality and your moral compass for something as flimsy and fleeting as popularity, you need to take a step back and weigh your options. Carefully.

6) Avoid "toxic" people. Parents tend to harp on about "bad influences". Well, while they might be referring to kids with blue hair and facial peircings, toxic people have no formal dress code, no easy way to spot them from afar. A toxic person's calling card will generally be the effect they have on you. If they make you lose your reason, they're toxic. If their gloom-and-doom outlook starts to leech the color from your world, they're toxic. They're the parade-rainers and buzz-kills of the world who, while drowning in their own problems, have not scruples about taking you down with them. Avoid them at all costs. Don't try to save them, don't try to befriend them. Just stay away.

7) Bullies and other such irritants obviously need to be dealt with. If telling them to piss off doesn't work, ignore them. If ignoring them doesn't work, scare them off. Scaring them off usually consists of displaying some previously unseen streak of madness in order to make them think twice about messing with you. Nothing over-the-top is required. Just give them the sense that they proceed at their own risk. Refuse to be intimidated.

8) Don't procrastinate. The sooner you finish studying and have your schoolwork out of the way, the sooner you can resume living your life. It makes things so much less complicated when you don't have to bother with make-up tests or overdue assignments.

9) Be hard to pin down in terms of your motives and character. Assuming a chameleon-like existence gives you the freedom to do as you wish without having to explain why to other people. It might seem Machiavellian, but that's neither here nor there. As a freshman, you need to be a sort of actor, capable of shifting shapes at a moment's notice. Get used to it.

10) Get a part-time job or some source of income, no matter how small, and get into the habit of saving your cash. It's never to early to build a 401(k)

11) Don't take this survival guide too seriously. High school throws curve balls your way, some of which aren't covered here. In the end, the best advice I can give you is to grab life by the horns and live it like you mean it. If nothing else, try to tuck that little nugget away (even if it does sound really corny)