By Caitlin Cruz
I would say there are three main things I wish I knew a little more about before starting ASUPD.
School-personal life balance: I wish I had known how to balance my own activities and schoolwork better. When I first started, I spent a lot of time thinking about school and not taking breaks. Enjoying the extra time I do have from being able to finish and take breaks when I wish is something I’ve come to appreciate. I do feel, though, that this is something that changes from person to person. I think this because I don’t have much of a social life, but I enjoy drawing and animation. So I don’t mind working the whole week and, during breaks, animating or drawing. But if you are more of a social person and like going out with friends, it’s nice because you can work ahead so you can have a free day—or maybe even more—depending on how hard you work. This is something that can take a little time, but once you find your balance, online school will become even more enjoyable for you.
Reaching out to teachers: The second thing that I wish I had known more about, or wished I was more confident in, was reaching out to the teachers. I came from an in-person high school where emailing teachers had many rules and was generally frowned upon. So going from a school where you only email teachers if you’ve spent all day and night on something and they didn’t go over it in class the next day, to a school where the main communication is email or texting, feels very weird. But the thing that helped me be more comfortable was emailing and texting the teachers and seeing that they don’t get mad or upset over it. While I’m not saying text them like you’re texting your homie, there’s no need to be super stressed out about it.
Making friends: The third thing I wish I knew more about when I started was how to make friends. While this may seem hard at first (especially if you’re not in a club), it’s much easier than it seems. I have found that many teachers will leave room for students to talk to one another and even be happy when they see people becoming friends. While it may feel awkward just plain asking if someone wants your number to talk, it gets easier over time—like most things with online school.
To summarize all of this, I want to say: be patient with yourself, and you will get there in the end. <3
