As everyone should know, Trimester 1 finals are right around the corner, and as a junior I have some advice for the freshmen.

It may be hard to imagine what it will be like to take a high school test for the first time, and you may be nervous or excited, or maybe even a healthy mixture of both. I am here to help you through this particularly tough time in every teenager’s life.

My first piece of advice is obvious:  prepare!  Remember the “7 Ps”: Proper Preparation Prevents P_ss Poor Performance.

Another suggestion I’d offer is to resolve to do your best; not just “good enough to pass.” Contrary to popular belief, colleges pays attention to every year’s grades, not just those earned in junior  and senior years.

After you have prepared, you still may be nervous – let me tell you I’ve been there and it is not fun. The problem is that it will be much harder to take the tests if you are nervous than if you are confident.  So, my advice is to draw confidence from the fact that you prepared to the best of your ability, and try to let go of the nerves.

Lastly, I would like to tell you that it is not the end of the world if you get a bad grade. As I have gotten started on my own college search process, I have learned that colleges like to see that a student has progressed throughout high school. This means that if you can do better during your sophomore year than during freshman year, that will be seen as a positive.  Similarly, doing better in your junior year than during sophomore year looks even better.  The key is to keep improving.

As men of Carmel, we are expected to do our best. For some of us, our best may mean straight As, while but for others it might be something less. As we all go into finals, but especially for freshman, let’s remember to prepare, to do our best, and not to sweat the small stuff.