'Don't freak out': Students look forward to, offer advice about entering high school, college

This time of year is a transition period for students -- whether it's getting ready to switch grades or heading into high school or college.

Jennifer Owens, a counselor with Community Counseling Center who also has her own practice, sees adolescents and college students. Owens said students in any grade are facing a lot of anxiety and pressure to be the best. They're also learning things in earlier grades than they were years ago.

Caroline Rollins

Jacob Justus

Kyra Pearl

"I don't think kids have the downtime they used to be a kid," the time to play and figure things out on their own, Owens said.

For now, eighth-graders in Gretchen Fee's English language arts class at Central Junior High School are the top dogs. But come the fall, they'll be freshmen at Central Junior High School where they'll be on a larger campus with more students.

Levi Strickland

Katie Kinder

Aly Vaughn

And while going into high school from eighth grade can be anxiety inducing at first, students just wrapping up their ninth-grade year say it's going to turn out fine.

Into high school

Will Sellers, a 14-year-old eighth-grader, said he's looking forward to the lunch "for sure."

"You have more of a selection," Sellers said.

Joseph Baker, also a 14-year-old eighth-grader, said he's looking forward to participating in football and baseball at Central -- the sports he plays at the junior high.

"I took the tour. It's big. It's going to be a long year next year," Baker said. "We have to deal with the older children. I'm going from being a bulldog to a ... Chihuahua."

Kyra Pearl, a 13-year-old eighth-grader, is excited about going into high school, "because we have a lot more options for the classes."

"We get to choose, like the CTC [Career and Technology Center]. I'm looking forward to taking the language classes, like Spanish," Pearl said.

But she's a little apprehensive on another score: "I'm already short enough, so I'm kind of scared to go with the older children."

Taylor Strange, a 14-year-old eighth-grader shares her peers' enthusiasm for moving up. A cheerleader on the Central Junior High squad, she plans to be cheering at the high school, as well.

"There's a little bit more freedom there than there is here and there's a bigger variety of people," Strange said. Her one apprehension is finding her classes the first day.

Jacob Justus, a 14-year-old eighth-grader, was chosen for the honor orchestra and jazz band at Central. He chose not to join the jazz band because he needed an extra elective in language. The upright bass player is fairly confident about the transition.

"I think it's going to be pretty easy. It's like going from middle school to [junior] high school. Once you get past orientation and the first few days, you'll be all right," Justus said.

Looking back

And that's basically the case, at least for Levi Strickland, Aly Vaughn, Caroline Rollins and Katie Kinder, who are just wrapping up their first year at Central High School. Strickland, 15, is vice president of the freshman class; Vaughn, 15, is treasurer; Rolins, 14, is secretary; and Kinder, 15, is president.

They were all a little apprehensive at first, but it wasn't as bad as they thought, especially because all of them were involved in sports and several had participated in summer sports. Vaughn said it helped to get to know some of the girls on the softball team before school started.

Strickland is in track and soccer; Vaughn plays softball; Kinder is in basketball and soccer; and Rollins is on the dance team.

Rollins said a lot of people "freak out" about how big the school is, but it's not really that bad.

Incoming freshmen also take a tour of the campus and go through orientation, where it hit them that this would be their school for the next four years. Kinder said they also were handed a giant packet of class options.

"A lot of people freak out about how big the school is, but it's really not bad," Rollins said.

"It was kind of intimidating coming in because everyone's so old," Kinder said.

"And tall," Rollins put in.

"And everyone else can drive, but they are all really nice, and after a week or so, it just seemed natural," Kinder said.

The four freshmen added that high school offers more freedom than junior high, but there's a trade off.

"There's definitely a lot more work, but I think it's definitely more fun than the junior high," Kinder said. "There's a lot more opportunities, activities and they trust you more."

She noted there's less drama in high school than junior high, as well.

Rollins said in junior high, it's more regimented with teachers accompanying students to lunch, for example, and the period is more regimented. In high school, freshmen can sit with any other of their peers since they all have the same lunch period.

Now that they've wrapped up their first year, the students feel next year will be easier. Vaughn said they'll know where everything is and won't get lost.

"Next year we'll know more what's expected of us and how to get around and how to navigate some situations and all that. And it will be less daunting. The first day of school [was], 'Oh my gosh, it's high school. Where do I go?," Kinder said.

Their advice for incoming freshmen is "don't freak out" or stress out.

"You'll start to freak out bad, [but] then you'll be here and you'll realize it's not as bad as [you] think. I feel like they make it sound like a jail cell and you're prison, but it's actually not. You have more freedom than you do anywhere else ..." Vaughn said.

Rollins advises incoming ninth-graders not to watch movies about high school, because they don't match up to reality and to walk fast in the hallways.

High school to college

Sharon Braun, a licensed professional counselor and spokeswoman for Community Counseling Center, said as far as transitioning from high school to college, one of the main things is in high school, students are guided and "everything's ... arranged for you; your classes and where you go; and there's a lot of structure."

"Once you get to college, you're pretty much on your own," Braun said. "You don't have anybody coddling you. ... It takes some time for all of that to sink in. ..."

Students from Saint Louis University and a Southeast Missouri State University student offered their wisdom.

Elaine Quitos, who just graduated from Southeast, said she was surprised at the number of student organizations there were at the university.

Quitos, who majored in mass communication with an emphasis in public relations and a minor in human resource management, said she was a member of the Public Relations Student Society of America and Riverfront Public Relations, a Southeast student-run public relations firm.

"My advice would be to get involved with on-campus experiences," Quitos said, describing them as "a great way to build your resume. Be involved; do as much as you can."

Matt Jedlinski, a student at Saint Louis University majoring in biology with a pre-med concentration, said he was surprised by "just how many people wanted to do the same thing that I did."

Counting organic chemistry as one of his hardest classes, Jedlinski, describing himself as someone who stressed out about grades in high school, advised a different course of action for those entering college.

"College is a lot different from high school," Jedlinski said. "There are things you're not going to do well in. Don't beat yourself up over it."

rcampbell@semissourian.com

388-3639

intern@semissourian.com

Pertinent address:

205 Caruthers St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.

1000 S. Silver Springs Road, Cape Girardeau, Mo.

One University Plaza, Cape Girardeau, Mo.