Some people consider high school to be the best four years of their lives, while others choose to block out that timeframe from their memory altogether. Four years is a relatively big chunk of time so it is crucial that fear of not fitting in disappears within the first semester of freshman year. Probably the biggest piece of advice to be given to high school students is that there is no such thing as popularity, really. There is no such thing as social status in a world where everyone learns the same material, has the same homework to turn in, walks the same hallways, and is subject to the same consequences. Materialistic possessions and brand names are by no means the definition of happiness. Some people just come to that realization four years too late. Don’t be one of those people.

The key to “fitting in” is to build relationships, great ones. Not necessarily romantic relationships, just relationships with people that go deeper than a shared interest in the latest gossip. Taking part in clubs and sports is a sure way of meeting potential friends, fitting in (with them), and having a happy, healthy, high school life.