Common Fears of Going to High School

Anyone who has ever gone to high school knows all about the fears. The giant knot in your stomach, the sweaty palms and the very real possibility of just passing out from all that stress. Now that you have been properly reminded of your high freshman days, it is time to take a closer look at some of those fears.

There are many things kids fear about entering high school for the first time, but a few are more common than others. Year after year, a new class of freshmen enter the halls of high schools everywhere with the same wide-eyed expression.

Upperclassmen

It is not easy going from being the oldest and coolest kid in school to being the youngest. Seeing all of those older kids can almost make a freshman feel tiny and insignificant. There is always the chance those older kids will pick on you, make fun of you and even bully you and that is all in the first day, forget the rest of the year.

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What about those dreaded initiations everyone whispers about? Hazing and initiations can be as scary as the kids doing it. There is a chance that even if you do not get initiated, the older kids are going to be mean to you anyway. They may laugh at you and call you baby names or worse.

The truth about the fear of the high school upperclassmen is that most of them are not as bad as they may seem. Most of them are more worried about their classes and friends to be concerned with what kind of clothes you are wearing today. Many older kids are actually pretty friendly and will be willing to help you out if you can just summon the courage to ask. If nothing else, they remember being the new kid on the block, and it wasn’t that long ago.

Getting lost

Depending on the size of your high school, the fear of getting lost can be a very real one. If your school is a monster, it might be a good idea to get a map or just stop and ask a teacher or other student for directions. It can actually be worse on you if you just keep your head down and wander aimlessly through the halls.

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The good news is that before long kids become familiar with their new school and can get around like old pros. It is just a few days/weeks that may be tricky. Each time they get a new class, they will have to learn how to find it.

Not being cool enough

This is one of the pains of being a high school teenager: being cool enough. Not only do high school kids wear different clothing than middle school kids, they also talk and act differently. Its like entering high school is entering a whole new sub-culture that you have only heard about on TV.

It can seem vitally important to wear what the cool kids are wearing, listen to their music and try to fit in as best as possible. After all, if you are not considered cool, then you are considered uncool and that is a scary thing. Many kids fear being viewed as weird or odd because they do not look and act like the popular kids.

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The truth is, many parents simply cannot afford to keep up with every fashion and social craze. This may force kids to be cool on their own awesome merit.

The bottom line here is that kids have the need to be accepted by their peers. They do not want to feel like outcasts in their own school by kids they sit in class with daily.

There is no denying that going to high school that first year can be a terrifying experience for many kids. If they go in with a positive attitude and do their best, they will survive it just like so many before them.