It’s about that time again: bagpipes are playing, pieces of the house are being handed out, and another year at Parker has begun. To make your lives this year a bit easier, I’ve compiled some advice for each grade by the students who know it best. After talking to last years’ freshman, sophomores, and juniors, here is a summary of their sentiments.

Advice for freshmen, by former freshmen

Freshman year seems to hold a lot of weight- it is often built up to be the year where you should sort everything out for the rest of high school. Luckily though, if you don’t manage to craft an ideal four-year-plan (who does?), you are totally fine! Most former freshmen had the same advice: do what actually interests you. A lot of people seem like they’re joining the same clubs and sports, but freshman year is a great time to try a bunch of things you may end up hating (or loving) just because you can. Join or apply for stuff that sounds interesting, but don’t worry or beat yourself up if you don’t love every club or get every position you apply for! There are four years of high school for you to try things and set goals for yourself.

Similarly, if you have leadership aspirations, you don’t have to follow some prescribed formula either! Not every Student Government president has been on the same path. This year can be fun, new, and exciting: let it.

Also, don’t be afraid of upperclassmen. They are totally willing to help you and answer any of your questions. Some of the best friends you can make will be older than you, so when in sports or clubs, befriend an older student! It’s super fun to have older friends. They’ve been where you are now and can empathize and give some great advice.

Advice for sophomores, by former sophomores

A lot of people say freshman year is the year to join lots of clubs and figure out what you want to do, but if you haven’t found what your “thing” is by sophomore year, don’t worry. Everyone moves at their own pace. Continue to look around and get a sense of high school. There’s still time to join clubs that sound cool or interesting! You can keep experimenting for all of high school if you feel like it. You didn’t “miss you chance” at anything because you haven’t discovered some hidden talent for robotics or a passion for theatre. You’ve got time.

In terms of academics, everyone says that junior year is super hard, but sophomore year isn’t easy! Don’t freak out about junior year while you’re still a sophomore experiencing the very real challenge that is tenth grade. If sophomore year is hard, don’t feel like that’s abnormal. Some people actually say it’s just as hard as junior year.

Sophomore year is a good time to do things you don’t know if you’ll have time to do next year, be that electives you want to try, some (super preliminary) standardized test prep, learning to drive, or any other number of tasks you might want to check off your list. If you’ve got time, go for it. If you don’t (because sophomore year is hard, yo!) no worries.

Advice for juniors, by former juniors

The notorious junior year. First of all, breathe. It’s not that bad. You’ll live. Here we go:

Take advantage of your breaks. Even if you’re not always being super productive, do something vaguely useful (Nap in the library tubes! Get the caffeine you need! Take a walk!). If you can get work done, all the better. If you have the same break as your friends, make sure you go work alone when you need to. That being said, don’t feel guilty if you’re not always working super-hard 100% of the time. Junior year is really stressful, and if you feel like you should be doing something else every time you’re having fun, it will just be even worse. Work when you’re working, and relax when you need to.

Don’t be afraid to see your teachers for help. Junior year is rough, but they want you to do well. Not only will they be great resources if you have a question about something going on in class, but Parker teachers are usually very understanding if you need an extension for a good reason. It’s much better to ask for a little more time if you have a lot going on than to drive yourself crazy (or just do a bad job on the assignment.) However, don’t make it a habit to always need an extension. You’ll get the hang of time management as the year goes on.

Try to not stay up too late. As cliché as it sounds, you have a lot to do this year in and out of school, and if you can’t focus during the day because you’re so tired from the night before, it will only get worse (and you’ll have more to do that night to catch up.) At a certain point, the law of limited returns kicks in: you stop being productive. Go to bed.

Try not to let the seniors’ college admissions situation stress you out. You can deal with that next year. Even though it seems like it should be, it’s not your concern right now.