How to Have a Great Year in Eighth Grade

Last Updated: September 27, 2022 References

Eighth grade is a big year for middle schoolers! You’re finally at the top of the school’s social hierarchy, and at the same time, you’re getting ready to transition to high school. Solidifying friendships and trying new things are just as important as getting decent grades and developing good study habits. Be a good friend, practice being confident, get organized, and get ready to have a good eighth grade year.

Part 1

Part 1 of 8:

Having a Healthy Social Life

1
Join a sports team or a club if you haven’t already. Eighth grade is a great time to try new things, so consider signing up for a new activity you haven’t done before. You could join the journalism team, audition for the school play, try out to be on a sports team, or run to be on student council If you already belong to a club or team that you enjoy, stick with it and see if there are ways you could be even more involved, like running for club president.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Ashley Pritchard, MA
School Counselor
Expert Interview. 4 November 2019.}
- If there is something you are interested in that doesn’t already have a club, try starting one yourself. Print out flyers to hang around school advertising an initial meeting for people who might be interested, and use social media to help spread the word, too.
2
Avoid drama and gossip so you can focus on having fun with friends. In eighth grade, there might be a lot of drama as people try to define who they are and assert themselves on the social ladder. Try to stay away from gossip and drama if you can—in the end, you will have more friends and enjoy your last year of middle school more if you don’t involve yourself in that kind of thing.
- If you have a friend who gossips, either about you or about someone else, you may want to consider distancing yourself from them or explaining to them that they’re hurting your feelings.
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3
Make new friends without ditching your old ones. Introduce yourself to people in your classes if you don’t already know them, invite people to sit with you at lunch, and try to be social when you’re at school events or extracurriculars. While it’s important to meet new people and can be really exciting to make new friends, don’t forget about the friends you already have. Try to be inclusive and bring people together.^{[2]
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- If you are trying to make new friends, look for people who are kind and who share similar interests with you. Maybe there is someone in your class who you’ve been friendly with but haven’t actually spent time with before—ask them if they want to get together sometime!
- If your old friends are starting to get into trouble by going to older parties or experimenting with drugs or alcohol, it may be time to find some new friends to hang out with. You don’t want to get in trouble, risk getting suspended or grounded, or put yourself into harmful situations.
- You could also try to talk to a friend who is participating in dangerous activities and tell them you’re concerned for them. Or, tell a trusted adult, like a parent or guidance counselor, if you’re worried about your friend’s safety.
4
Avoid being a bully and stand up for others who are picked on. Part of having a great final year of middle school is setting yourself up as a leader, and leaders don’t bully others. Instead, be kind to others and try to see the good in everyone. Chances are, everyone else feels just as nervous as you about transitioning from middle to high school!^{[3]
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- If you notice ongoing bullying at your school, report it to a school official and to a trusted adult.
5
Try to join in conversations and share your ideas with others. Brush up on your small talk to practice for meeting new people in high school, and try to speak up in class when you know the answer or have ideas of your own. This will help you gain confidence, which is important to having a happy social life because others are drawn to people with confidence.
- Speak clearly and make eye contact with others when you speak with them. You’ll appear confident even if you don’t feel that way.
6
Plan fun events with your friends outside of school. Eighth grade is a great time to start being more social with your friends. Your parents are probably willing to let you have a little more freedom, so with their permission, plan some evening and weekend events so you can spend more time with your friends. Fun ideas include taking a trip to an amusement park, hosting a movie marathon, going to a local park for a picnic, or having a game night.
- If you are trying to make new friends, inviting others to a fun event is a nice way to get to know people.
- Spending time with your friends in eighth grade helps strengthen your friendship as you begin to think about heading to high school.

Part 2

Part 2 of 8:

Doing Well in School

1
Use an alarm to help get yourself to school in time. If you don’t already, start setting your own alarm for the morning. Give yourself enough time to wake up, shower if you need to, get dressed, eat breakfast, and gather your things together before you need to head out the door. In school, make sure to get to class before the late bell rings. This will help you be more responsible which will be helpful when you get to high school.
- If you know you tend to run late, try setting your alarm for 15 minutes earlier than you normally do to give yourself a little extra buffer.
- If you can’t resist hitting that snooze button in the morning, put your alarm clock on the other side of the room so you have to get out of bed to turn it off.
2
Create binders or folders for each class you will be taking. Get new binders and folders from the store once you know what classes you’ll be taking, and set aside an afternoon to organize and decorate them. Create three different sections for each class: assignments, tests, and notes. This will help you stay organized throughout the school year.
- Get in the habit of cleaning out your binder and filing new papers on a daily basis to help keep you organized.
3
Plan ahead for big projects, papers, and assignments. If your school gives you an assignment book, use it to schedule out the big assignments you’ll need to complete that year. If you have a paper due at the end of the month, make a note to start writing it 2 weeks ahead of time. And if there are books you need to read for class, plan to start reading them 1-2 weeks before they’re due so you don’t have to rush to finish them.
- If your school doesn’t give out assignment books, you can buy one or use a notebook to write out the dates and schedule your homework.
4
Set aside time every day to do your homework. If you have a study period, use it to work on school work so you can have more free time in the evening. If you don’t have a study period or if you have more work than you can complete in that time, try to get all your homework done right after school or after any extracurriculars you have. Don’t leave your homework until late at night because your mind will be tired and you’ll have a hard time concentrating.
- Get into a routine of getting home from school, having a snack, changing your clothes if you need to, and sitting down at a desk or table to complete your homework.
5
Create a study plan for quizzes and tests. When you know you have a test coming up, set aside an hour each day for the week before the test to prepare. Try studying for 30 minutes at a time and then taking a 10-minute break. You can also create vocabulary flashcards (or even include important dates and facts to quiz yourself).^{[4]
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- Try reading over your notes from class each evening to help yourself retain the information better.^{[5]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Ashley Pritchard, MA
  School Counselor
  Expert Interview. 4 November 2019.}
- If the test is really big, you may want to start studying 2 weeks ahead of time, or perhaps give yourself more time per day to study.
- If you get test anxiety, try this: breathe in for 4 seconds, then breathe out for 8 seconds. Do this 2-3 times to calm yourself down whenever you're feeling anxious about a test.^{[6]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Jai Flicker
  Academic Tutor
  Expert Interview. 20 May 2020.}
6
Find a study buddy or a contact for each class you have. In each class, find someone you can exchange numbers with so if you have questions or have to miss a class, you will have someone you can get information from. You could also plan study sessions with this person to help quiz each other before big tests.
- Be careful when finding your study buddy, though! Make sure to ask someone who is a good student and who won’t try to copy off of your work, and keep in mind that you need to study more than you chat for it to be an effective study aid.
7
Ask a trusted adult for help if you need it. Ask a guidance counselor, a teacher, or a trusted adult for help in whatever area you’re struggling with. If you are struggling with organization or a particular subject, it is okay to ask for help! This is a great time to do that, actually, as you need to start preparing to take on more responsibility for when you get to high school.^{[7]
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Expert Source

Ashley Pritchard, MA
School Counselor
Expert Interview. 4 November 2019.}
- You could also talk to your school or your parents about getting a tutor for a specific subject you’re having trouble with.
- Even adults often have to ask for help, so it’s nothing to be embarrassed about!

Part 3

Part 3 of 8:

Developing as an Individual

1
Eat a healthy breakfast every morning. Wake up early enough in the morning so that you have time to eat breakfast before heading to school. Cereals that are high in fiber and protein (avoid really sugary cereals), eggs and toast, and oatmeal are all good options that will power your brain and keep you full until lunch.^{[8]
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Expert Source

Ashley Pritchard, MA
School Counselor
Expert Interview. 4 November 2019.}^{[9]
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Trustworthy Source
Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source}
- If you don’t have enough time to make breakfast because you overslept, try to eat a piece of fruit and a handful of nuts on your way out the door.
2
Get 8-9 hours of sleep every night. Based on when you need to get up, go to bed early enough so you can get at least 8 hours of sleep so you’ll be well-rested for the next day. Try setting an alarm for 15 minutes before you need to be in bed so you can start winding down.
- Try turning your phone off or on “do not disturb” when you go to bed so you aren’t interrupted by incoming notifications or texts.
3
Exercise 4 to 5 times per week for 30 minutes at a time. Eighth grade is a great time to start exercising regularly so it becomes a habit as you get ready to enter into high school! If the weather is nice, try going for a 30-minute walk around your neighborhood after school or ask your parents if you can join the local recreation center.
- Exercising gives you endorphins, which can also help you deal with stress.
4
Experiment with your personal style. Maybe you want to try a new hairstyle, start wearing makeup, or wear different clothes than you did before. This is a great time to make some changes to see what you like. Have fun and be creative and remember that you can always change back if you don’t like it!
- A fun and inexpensive way to update your style is to visit thrift stores. Go with a few friends and find some new pieces to add to your wardrobe.
5
Try out new hobbies to expand your experiences. Now is a great time to try new things—like a new sport, a musical instrument, or a crafting hobby. You could take guitar lessons or drawing classes, or look online for tutorials on something you’re interested in to teach yourself a new skill!
- If you already have a hobby you love, you could try to pursue it more passionately. For example, if you taught yourself how to play an instrument, maybe you could take lessons. Or if you like to do crafts, choose a more complicated project to work on.
- wikiHow has great tutorials, as do sites like Skillshare and YouTube.

Part 4

Part 4 of 8:

Expectations for 8th Grade

1
Understand that homework will get more challenging. As with every academic year, the homework will get more complicated. There will be more information in each lesson for you to understand and review. To remember this information, you will need to take organized notes. Use bullet points and draw graphs or charts to let you understand the information. Highlight important key words, like "velocity" or "distance" if you're taking beginner physics notes, or "variable", "slope", or "equation" if you're taking algebra notes.
- Don't worry- there will still be review of things you learned in 7th grade, as with every year of school. At the beginning of 8th grade, you will review things you have learned in 7th grade, so the first month of school will be easy if you have understood and remembered all of the concepts. After the review, however, you will learn a multitude of unfamiliar concepts.
2
Know that tests will increase in number. There were probably less tests in 6th or 7th grade than there are now in 8th grade. You may have had tests every 2 weeks and large assessments every few months. That may increase to a few quizzes, tests, and large assessments.
- You will need to study more often to retain the information learned for tests. You should review what you have learned for at least 15 minutes daily in case you forgot a concept or are unsure of how to do it.
3
Know that you will be the oldest kids in your middle school. You may not be the oldest people out of the whole mandatory education system yet (only if you're in 12th grade), but you're around 13-14 years old! This sounds cool to many kids, as they are older, more mature, and know more things than the younger kids. They are also experts in opening lockers, going to office hours, and handling some extracurriculars.
- Even though you may be the oldest, you do not have more rights than the younger kids. You still need to obey the school rules, or you may get in trouble.
- Don't bully kids from lower grade levels. They likely want someone to help them, and bullying them is mean. Remember the time when you were new to middle school, in 5th, 6th, or 7th grade. You were probably shy, lost, scared, and not used to middle school. You would not want someone older (the 8th and 9th graders) to bully you, right?
4
Talk to an older sibling about their experience in 8th grade. If you have an older sibling, chances are that they are experienced high schoolers. They may just be a freshman, or they could be a junior, senior, or even in their first year of college already. If your sibling has a large age difference (more than 6 years), they may not remember their 8th grade experience. If you are younger than your sibling by 2-5 years, that's a good age range, since your older sibling/s will likely remember their high school and 8th grade years.
- Talk to them about your concerns, like homework and peer pressure.
- Ask your older sibling to share some funny experiences that they had in their last years of middle school.
- Look at some photos of your older sibling's 8th grade graduation to get some knowledge of the experience.

Part 5

Part 5 of 8:

Acing the 8th Grade

1
Pay attention during class. Listen carefully during class to make sure you know all of the instructions. In middle school, especially a private middle school, you'll need to pay attention to every detail. You don't want to miss some instructions on formatting essays or instructions on doing a project! Even small details count- some strict schools may subtract points off assignments and tests if you miss out on writing small details, like writing the "m" next to an angle measure, positive and negative signs, typos, or indenting paragraphs.
- Ignore people who try to distract you. Your best friends or the class clown may try to distract you by making funny faces, passing notes, tapping your shoulder, or whispering to you. Ignore them, and after class, tell them to stop talking during class, since it distracts you.
- Avoid talking during class. Sure, it may be really challenging in class to not share a cool story to your friends, laugh at a funny joke, or talk about a dank meme with your friends. But those can wait until after class. Whenever you're about to start a conversation during class, think to yourself, "I need to pay attention to get a good participation grade." or "This meme can wait. I should close down this meme website, since it's not related to school."
- Try to pay attention even though people around you are talking. You should tell the teacher about the noisy classmates if they are disrupting your concentration or disrupt your ability to hear the teacher.
2
Study often. Tests are only going to increase in frequency, not decrease in frequency as you get older. There may be an increase in pop quizzes and/or an increase in tests and assessments. You may have gotten used to tests every 2 weeks, but in 8th grade and high school, you might have tests weekly or have a lot of tests in the same week.
- To earn an excellent score on a test, study. Don't study for four hours or the whole night though. That's not useful, since studying for long periods of time will be boring, and your brain will lose concentration easier. Don't try to stuff a ton of information into your short-term memory at once, as this can also make you very nervous and stressed. ^{[10]
  X
  Research source} Study smarter, not harder, so it's best to study for 15-30 minutes at least a week before the test instead of cramming four hours of content into 2 nights of studying.
3
Take detailed notes. In early middle school, you may have taken undetailed or short notes that would help you with tests. Short notes won't help you will all of the concepts you have learned in 8th grade. If you write down key terms but don't write the meanings of them, you won't understand when to use the words. If you write down only one example of a math problem using the distance formula, you may be unsure of how to use the distance formula for other types of lines. They won't describe nor summarize all of the small details that you will need to understand.
- Use bullet points for important details, highlight key terms, and jot down 2-4 examples of the concepts that you have learned.
- Ask the teacher to repeat a concept or to slow down if you aren't done taking notes yet.
4
Be responsible for your school assignments. Middle school is a great time to develop this skill, but if you haven't yet, you should do it this year. Teachers don't have the time to remind every student of every assignment and test due. This is true in middle school, since you have a teacher for each subject instead of one teacher that teaches every subject in your class in elementary school. Your science teacher may have other classes of students to teach or other grade levels to teach- so does your math teacher, history teacher, and language arts teacher. ^{[11]
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- If your school posts all assignments (even ones where you turn in a hard copy) online, check the website your school uses for all of the assignments daily.
- Check each teacher's classroom's whiteboard for any assignments and tests written on there. Write them down in a planner or notebook.
5
Use your time in class wisely. Class times vary from 40 to 50 minutes, and that is plenty of time to work. Your teacher may have spent half of that time lecturing, but spend the rest of the time working on the assignment your teacher told you to do. Don't waste it by surfing on banned websites, chatting with friends, fidgeting with a Rubik's cube, or doing anything unrelated to school. This will waste your time in class, and if you have a busy schedule, you may not have enough time to do classwork and homework at home.
- Don't spend 10 minutes or even 5 minutes chatting with your friends. You might get carried away and waste all of your time in class talking instead of doing classwork.
- If you have extra time left over, do other assigned homework from school, read a book, or relax.
- If your teacher assigned a web article, read it. If your teacher gave you a physics worksheet to do, write it. If you need to take algebra notes, start taking them. If you need to work on a project about Alexander Hamilton (alone or in groups), start on the project. If you are in a group, talk with your group members about which roles everyone gets in the project.
6
Make your reputation outstanding. This is useful for earning your reputation for friendships, but this can also help in applying to a private high school. Don't do anything that would harm your reputation, as this decreases your chances of entering the high school, college, or university of your dreams. Refrain from doing anything that would get you in trouble, like vandalizing, gossiping, bullying, stealing, or disrupting the class.
- If you're attending a private high school, do extra by participating more in class and asking questions. Your teacher will know you more if you do this, and subsequently write a longer, more detailed recommendation letter. The high school admissions teams will then look at this letter and decide whether or not to recruit you based on your personality, grades, and character.
- If you don't do anything special and don't participate, your teacher won't know what to write about you. As a result, the high schools you want to apply to may not accept you in.
7
Deal with puberty. Most kids have started puberty at this time, or are starting it at this age. Don't worry if you are nervous about this- most kids are. Puberty can make your body feel awkward are weird, and you may feel as if you are still a kid compared to the huge, adult-like teenagers in 8th grade, or vice versa. It's ok if you are short/look like a 9-year-old compared to your classmates, or if you look like a high schooler at the ages 12-14. People grow up and develop at different rates, but you will still go through puberty at one point or the other.
- Manage your period. Females will need to change their sanitary products every 2-4 hours. Try to change them during breaks or longer class transitions. Bring some pain medication approved by the school if you have cramps. Cite "female issues" or drinking too much water if the teacher asks why you're going to the bathroom very often.
- Get a sports bra. If your breasts are large enough, you may want a sports bra for gym class/PE. They may bounce around and move a lot, so you'll need this item of clothing for them to stay still. For times where you aren't exercising, getting a regular cup bra is fine (if your breasts have developed enough).
- Hide erections. Males may be shy and embarrassed about this, since these appear during random times, like during PE class, in the classroom, or in the hallways where everyone can see. Use a large bag to cover it or think of boring things like a test that's coming up or what 314 x 42 is.

Part 6

Part 6 of 8:

Making 8th Grade Fun

1
Know your morals. Don't do anything that goes against your ethical beliefs. Basically, do not do anything that harms yourself or harms others. Do not listen to anyone that tells you to do these types of things. They are not ethical and they are likely to get you in trouble. Understand this and report people who tell you to do unethical things. Do not:
- Disrupt class
- Bully other classmates
- Steal others' things
- Drink underage
- Have underage sex
- Vandalize the school building
- Gossip about classmates
- Break school rules
2
Attend electives in your middle school. Electives are additional classes that you attend that reflect your interests. They are similar to clubs, but they are more formal and you learn more useful things in elective classes. If you're applying to a private high school, joining a couple of electives can help you get into the private high school of your choice.
- Common electives in middle school include a computer science, graphic arts, visual arts, performing arts, cooking, journalism, Spanish, Chinese, and crafts electives.
3
Join clubs at your school. In addition to regular school, you can join clubs. Clubs are afterschool activities that reflect your interests. Middle schools often have a lot of clubs for you to choose from. These are a space for doing what you enjoy while learning a few things and doing fun projects.
- Some clubs your school may have include a book, newspaper, writing, journalism, student council, synopsis, environmental, math, ACSL, robotics, coding, history, art, music, speech and debate, drama, and a choir club.
- If there isn't a club suited to your interests, ask a teacher or head of your school (usually the principal or headmaster) if you can make a club.
4
Make friends in 8th grade. 8th grade is the final year of middle school, so many of your classmates you've seen in 5th, 6th, and 7th grade may have switched schools to better middle schools or schools closer to the high school they are attending. You might feel as if making new friends in 8th grade is useless, since they will leave again, and you won't have any friends in high school. This is not the case, as you guys can contact each other online. You may even be going to the same high school, so you should still have a social life in 8th grade.
- Say hi to some lonely kids sitting alone. The ends of elementary, middle, and high school are the hardest to make friends, as everyone else has their old friends they've met many years ago. The 5th graders have their old buddies from 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st grade, or even kindergarten, and the 8th graders have companions from 7th, 6th grade, and elementary school. So it can be challenging to make friends if everyone else is sticking with their old friends. So, go outside of your comfort zone and talk to some new or lonely kids. This makes their day and lets them feel comfortable at the new school.
- Sit next to some new people at lunch. Talk about what went on during your day. Say something like, "Algebra class was pretty challenging for me. How was math for you?" or "Are you in algebra class or geometry class? I got into geometry class." or "I enjoy playing basketball. I actually play on a competitive team outside of school. What do you enjoy doing?" or "What days do you have history class? I have mine on Wednesdays and Fridays."
5
Cope with immature classmates in 8th grade. 8th graders are usually 13 or 14, and those years are early teenage years. Even though there will be a few mature people in 8th grade, some tweens and teens will still be immature. Try to ignore these immature classmates and try to understand them. If they are very disruptive during class, tell a teacher.
- Understand that younger people in your class who are just turning 13 will be more immature than people who are older (turning 14). Also, boys go through puberty at later ages than girls, so there will be many boys in your class that are immature compared to girls. When puberty starts, you start mentally maturing, and males are usually slower in doing that.
- Boys that are early bloomers may go through puberty at ages 10-11 when that may be considered the normal age for puberty in girls. Late bloomers that are boys might start at 14 or 15 when that is considered very late or abnormal in girls.
- If you're one of the mature kids in your class, you may not understand the silly humor that they talk about, like weird memes, potty humor, and being disruptive in class. Accept some of the jokes they make sometimes, and try not to be too serious (some jokes diffuse the mood in a classroom, especially if there's an awkward silence). Understand that younger students or ones that like attention will make more immature jokes and disrupt the class more often. If they really hinder your focus in class, talk to a teacher about it.
6
Spend quality time with your friends. Since you're in the last year of middle school, many of your friends may be going to different high schools than you. Spend quality time with your best friends to cherish the wonderful memories you have together.
- At break, record funny jokes or something really interesting your friends said.
- Take note of important moments in middle school, like when your best friend helped you with regaining your self-confidence or your best friends giving you an amazing gift for your 14th birthday.
7
Ask for help when you need it. Stressful homework, a load of extracurriculars, and preparation for high school can really tire you out, leading to stress and anxiety. When you really need help with something, you should ask a teacher, counselor, or parent for help. Not asking for help can lead to added stress, since you won't know how to do homework that you need to make up. All of that extra homework you didn't do will stack up in addition to the homework you have daily, which can lead to massive amounts of anxiety.
- Go to a teacher's office hours to ask for homework help. Middle school teachers usually have office hours or help sessions for students who need help. Go to those sessions to get individualized help if you are shy about raising your hand in front of the whole class. ^{[12]
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- If you have anxiety, depression, or another mental disorder, you may need to see a counselor or therapist. Start with talking to your school counselor. If your school doesn't have one, talk with your homeroom or advisory teacher. These teachers help with basic mental health problems or issues relating to school. Then, you can seek a therapist with the help of a trusted adult.

Part 7

Part 7 of 8:

Making It Through the Last Weeks of Middle School

1
Cope with all of the anxiety of going to high school. When you were in your last year of elementary school, you were probably nervous about middle school. Now that you're graduating middle school, you may be worried even more about high school and your future career. You could be worried about the new school, not knowing anyone there, your schedule, drama in friendships, college, grades, and your future.
- High school may seem like a huge storm cloud looming over you and your classmates in 8th grade, but it's not that bad. Assignments and responsibility will increase, but it is similar to middle school.
- Understand that most middle schoolers feel some degree of stress about high school, college, or their future careers. Know that you don't have to get As on every single assignment or test and that you don't have to attend the private high school with the highest rating. These are unrealistic expectations, and believing that you need to be the best is going to be stressful for you.
2
Deal with senior slump. This term is commonly used for people in 12th grade (seniors)- the last year of high school. Many people in 12th grade think that their grades won't matter in the last weeks of high school as they move on to college or university, so they slack off and become lazy. ^{[13]
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Research source} This can also apply to people in the last years of elementary school or middle school.
- Understand that your grades will matter the entire year, so you should finish off the year (and the school level) strong.
- Try not to slack off- in fact, you should work harder in the last few weeks to boost your grade. It will make your gradebook and report card look amazing in the end of the school year.
- Study longer for 30-40 minutes if you have the time. Homework usually decreases as the last week of school approaches, so you should have time to study for a few minutes longer. You'll need to study longer for final exams and assessments, which review all of the topics you have learned for the entire school year.
3
Prepare for 8th grade graduation. As the last week of school is starting, 8th grade graduation ceremonies are going to start. If you're graduating 8th grade this year, you may be unsure of what the ceremonies will be like. The ceremony will be a few minutes long, and the party will likely last the whole school day or half of it.
- Each middle school, whether public, private, charter, magnet, etc. will be different, but they will most likely have middle school graduation ceremonies.
- Wake up early and choose a nice graduation outfit. Choose something formal, like a polo shirt and trousers or a blouse and skirt for the actual ceremony. For the parties and celebrations after the ceremony, you can wear a shirt and jeans.
- Smile when you go on the stage. Many schools let their 8th grade graduates stand on stage to receive praise, applause, and a fake diploma for their graduation. Smile naturally, even if you feel scared or not confident. Fake it until you make it!
4
Have an awesome time at your 8th grade graduation party! Most schools hold an 8th grade graduation party for the 8th grade graduates annually. You may get some snacks, party favors, and drinks to consume at the party. Your caretakers are probably also invited to the party.
- Talk with your friends during the party and get their contact info in case they go to a different high school than you. If you want to get everyone's contact info (your whole class's) you can ask everyone.
- Get a lot of party favors, like cookies, cupcakes, donuts, crackers and cheese, and fruit like blueberries, oranges, and grapes. Get one drink like water, soda, milk, or juice to wash down the delicious food!
- After the meal, you can talk with your classmates, the teachers, play board games, go outside the classroom to run around like a kid again, or dance to music! The rules are usually very lenient during the last weeks of school, since the school allows students to enjoy themselves and relax after 9 months of tiring school. So, you can do basically anything- just don't harm others or yourself. Run around, talk loudly, play non-harmful pranks, go outside, or do other fun things on the last days of school!
5
Cope with leaving middle school. Leaving middle school can leave teens feeling overjoyed, anxious, or dejected. For some teens, leaving middle school can feel exciting, as you'll meet new friends, leave annoying/toxic classmates, and plan for your future. Other teens may feel quite anxious due to new expectations and the new school itself. Some teens feel dejected due to leaving the school they've known for so long (especially if it's a private school with grades K-8) and the friends they've made throughout elementary and middle school.
- If you're excited for high school, contact your friends about which high schools they're going to. You may see a few familiar faces, and a lot of new ones. You can take a tour of your high school nearing the end of the 8th grade school year. If you're going to a private high school, you may have already toured the school since you've been interviewed already.
- If you're anxious, take a tour of the school beforehand and see which high schools they're going to. Get hold of the school's rulebook and grading procedures.
- If you're sad, cry it out during summer break. Acquire your classmates' phone numbers, emails, and birthdays by sending them a Google Sheet asking for this info using school email. This is the fastest way to earn contact info. You could also create a Google Form asking for email addresses. The spreadsheet/form could also contain the high schools each person's going to, which is handy if you want to see who's going to the same high school as you.

Part 8

Part 8 of 8:

Preparing for High School

1
Know which high school you are going to. You should think about high school as early as possible to prepare. Elementary school may be too early to prepare for any useful things (since you haven't learned as much yet), but middle school's a great start. Knowing the high school you are going to can aid you in preparing for high school.
- If you're going to a public high school, you are likely going to the high school that is in your school district. Search for your school district and see which high schools you may be going to.
- If you're going to a private high school, you may need to wait a few months for the high schools you've applied to to give you results. If the high school you get accepted to isn't one of your top 5 dream schools, that's okay! Private high schools are often more challenging and competitive than public ones (unless you're going to a competitive school district), so you should be proud of yourself for making it into one.
2
Apply to private high schools. Starting from the beginning of 8th grade, you should start to apply to a few private high schools of your choice if you're going to one. This seems scary, as you have never applied to a school before to get in. The high school application process is similar to a college application process- you write an essay detailing a personal experience, and you ask your teacher/s to write a recommendation letter to your private high schools. ^{[14]
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- The essay is usually about a poignant/important life experience that you have had. This is not an essay where you just write, "I am Nat, and I love basketball". This essay will be about one experience, not just a few vague paragraphs with everything about you in it. It's not an "About Me" essay; it's supposed to be narrowed down to one experience. Aim to write around 4-5 paragraphs of material in the essay. Make it as descriptive and detailed as possible to make it interesting and captivating. Remember to catch the admissions team's attention with the intro of your essay and proofread for any typos or grammar mistakes. ^{[15]
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- It doesn't have to be about a life-changing event. You don't have to talk about a car accident that changed your life, moving to a new country, or surviving a war-torn country. It could be as simple as a nice vacation with your family, moving to a new school, the COVID pandemic, getting a new sibling or pet, or making cookies with your grandparents.
- Start asking for recommendation letters before the end of the year. Before late November and December arrive, you should ask a teacher for a recommendation letter. At the end of class or office hours, you can ask for this letter. There is usually a 2-4 month window of asking for recommendation letters for each teacher. Plan to ask from the months September-November. If you have participated in class and done other things to give the teacher a wonderful impression of you, the letter should be mostly positive.
3
Talk to an older sibling about their experience in high school. If you have an older sibling, chances are that they are experienced high schoolers. They may just be a freshman, or they could be a sophomore, junior, senior, or even in their first year of college already. If your sibling has a large age difference (more than 6 years), they may not remember their freshman experience, as they are worrying more about university/college and their future careers. If you are younger than your sibling by 2-5 years, that's a good age range, since your older sibling/s will likely remember their high school and 8th grade years.
- Talk to them about your concerns, like homework and peer pressure.
- Ask your older sibling to share some funny experiences that they had in their first years of high school to make you feel better about it.
4
Understand how high school is different than middle school. High school and middle school look pretty similar, but there are many differences. In high school, most students are pretty mature already and can juggle homework, extracurriculars, and friendships. You will need to be extremely responsible in high school since teachers will expect you to manage your own time. Teachers in high school are just people who teach; they aren't calendars or reminder apps, so don't go to high school thinking that they will remind you of due dates and tests and answer every question you have during class.
- In high school, you will be offered AP courses (in the U.S.). These stand for Advanced Placement, and are college-level courses offered for high schoolers to challenge themselves if they are ahead of their peers or are competitive. ^{[16]
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- Office hours will still exist in high school, but you'll have to manage your time more wisely. Teachers in high school often have to teach a lot of curriculum in a 50-minute class, so they can't answer every question during the class period. They aren't mean or anything- they simply do not have the time to go through every student's questions, since there will be more students in a high school class than a middle school or elementary school. You'll need to find your own time to ask the teacher a question or send them an email instead of hoping that the teacher calls on you every time you have a question in class.
- Lockers will still exist in high school. The lockers will most likely be the same, and you open them in a similar/same way.
- Everyone in high school will become more mature. You will hear less of potty humor, immature memes, and being disruptive in class. The classmates that were younger than you are still younger than you (turning 14 in 9th grade), but they will mature. The boys will mature too, so expect the classroom to be more serious as most people are worrying about their grades/material instead of joking around or slacking off during class (unless the person's personality is naturally silly or lazy).

Community Q&A
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Question

How can I not get distracted when I'm doing homework?

Jai Flicker
Academic Tutor
Jai Flicker is an Academic Tutor and the CEO and Founder of Lifeworks Learning Center, a San Francisco Bay Area-based business focused on providing tutoring, parental support, test preparation, college essay writing help, and psychoeducational evaluations to help students transform their attitude toward learning. Jai has over 20 years of experience in the education management industry. He holds a BA in Philosophy from the University of California, San Diego.

Jai Flicker

Academic Tutor

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

Turn off your phone and notifications on your computer, and find a quiet part of your house or yard to do your homework so you don't get distracted. If something is bothering you and you can't focus because you're stressed, see if you can set that aside for now and come back to it later. If you can't, pause your homework for a bit and address what's causing you stress.
Question

How do you know if your crush likes you in middle school but he/she does want to tell you?

Sarah Battilana

Community Answer

You kind of just have to wait until they are willing to tell you. Try to not be too focused on your crush and if it's meant to be, it'll happen.
Question

What to do if you hurt one of your friend's feelings?

Sarah Battilana

Community Answer

You'll have to apologize. Don't try to make excuses for what you did. Just say you're sorry and let them be hurt and angry. Ask if there is anything you can do to make it up to them. You may just have to wait until they are not hurt anymore before things go back to normal.