Alright folks, let’s have that talk. The talk I wish someone had with me when I joined A-Level; your future self will thank you for having it and it will guarantee less tears in A1 (we can’t promise anything for A2 though).

The blessed three months of summer vacations have successfully been wasted, you have your back-to-school accessories ready and you’re ready to work. Well hold on there cowboy, here are a few things that we think you should know before you begin your first month of college.

Familiarize with the surroundings

The first and possibly the most important part of coming to any new place is that you get to know the place well. You should know the classrooms, the admin office, the grounds, the cafeteria, and the crying spots — you get the idea. Not only this, but you need to make sure that you remember which class happens at what time in what classroom. As a student you plan to spend two years of your life in that campus, and it is really important that you not be late in a class because you forgot which room your class was in, or because you were unsure about the timings. Trust me, as the CEO of being late, I would not recommend joining the club.

Seniors: PLEASE INTERACT WITH THEM, THEY CAN BE NICE TOO

Alright so this might be the most daunting thing on this list, but this also might be the most important too. When you join high school, it’s usually a good idea to familiarize yourself with your seniors. They had recently gone through what you’re about to go through as a student and they usually have some really nice tried-and-tested tips for coping with the stress of A-Level or other issues concerning student life.

Also most of us need friends, please don’t shy away from us.

Expand your friend circle

Now this one is kind of related to the previous point, but kind of not? See, there’s some groups that just take a corner and don’t move from there. That’s usually fine, but not recommended during the first month. High school is all about expanding — your opportunities, your scope, your beliefs and, most importantly, your circle. It is already extremely frustrating for new-comers to fit in, and since everyone is going through the same terrifying experience, why not share it?

Make new friends and ride through yee-yee town together!

Enroll in societies, attend camps

Continuing on with the theme of self-development, one of the first things that you need to do in high school is join societies (or whatever quirky name your institution gives them). Societies help you find and make new friends. Not only that, they also kind of, sometimes do what they intend to do, which is nice as well I guess.

Visit all that your school has to offer

I have seen people being content with a simplistic and repetitive routine. However, you are not people, you are a TLC reader and you will exert dominance by exploring everything your school can offer. I don’t mean to force you into doing something you don’t like. All I mean is that you should, at least once, visit everything your school can’t stop talking about on their prospectus

As a closing statement, I just want to apologize for comparing A-Level to the wild-west. Now that I think about it, I really should’ve compared it to the south instead — because you know, that’s where things go in A-Level.