For those making their way through Cathedral’s gates the first time, it can be a scary place. As a part of our National Honors Society service project, myself and Mimi Burbank (‘16) wrote a freshman’s guide to Cathedral Catholic. Below are some tips from the guide – feel free to download it here if you’d like to check out more.

El Cid’s Freshman Year “Survival Guide”

MAKE TIME FOR…

FRIENDS

Even though you have a lot going on, it’s important to find time to spend with your friends. High school is more than just schoolwork and your GPA. You won’t have any fun if you don’t have anyone to have fun with! In high school, everyone is trying to figure out who they are. You’ll find that you may drift apart from people you have known forever. Don’t stress about it, but remember to make time for the friends you do have, and for the new friends you may pick up along the way!

SCHOOL EVENTS

Dances: Rule number one: you don’t need a date to have fun! Go with a group of friends, or go by yourself and meet new people! Dances ARE fun! You’re a freshman, live it up! They may seem lame or unpopular, but you’ll regret not going in the long run and you will have a great time!

Sports Events: Even if football isn’t your favorite sport, you’ll have a lot of fun sharing school spirit on a Friday night. Paint your face, eat some popcorn and have a fun time. It’s a great way to meet people who aren’t in your classes. Also, you should check out other sports games (Water polo, Swim meets, Soccer or whatever you’d like!) If you only go to one game all year, go to the Holy Bowl! It’s basically a requirement as a Don to support our school against our most famous rivals: the Saintsmen.

Drama Shows: Thanks to Ms. Katie Wilson and the talented members of Drama Club, Cathedral puts on some of the best shows in San Diego. From Footloose to Hairspray to Little Shop of Horrors, Cathedral’s shows are phenomenal. Make sure to support your fellow Dons in the fall and spring shows. If you’re interested in drama, don’t wait – audition! 

WORST CASE SCENARIOS: WHAT IF?

You show up to the wrong class:

In all likelihood, you will show up to the wrong class at least once in your high school career. Don’t worry, everyone does it. If you end up at the wrong classroom and the bell is about to ring, just ask the teacher to write you a note. They’ll tell your actual teacher what happened. If you’re afraid that you’re going to the wrong class, just ask anyone in the hall, “hey, what’s the schedule today?” or “is it Red 2?” Everyone was confused by the schedule at one point – we’re in this together! 

You have test/quiz/project overload:

Sometimes it seems like your teachers are out to get you. Whether they realize it or not, somehow they have scheduled all of their assessments on the same day. While you might be tempted to fake sickness, the best advice we have is to show up to class. Skipping a day of school results in tests during lunchtime, more work and more stress. Take a deep breath, plan ahead and be ready to turn down that invite to the movies so that you allow yourself a realistic amount of time to study, and get a good night’s sleep. After the stressful day is over, reward yourself! Bring yourself a treat, or go get Jamba Juice with friends. Once you’re done, you made it! Congratulations!

You’re feeling sick:

• Before school: If you wake up and aren’t feeling too good, make sure to have your parents call the Attendance Office to report your absence. This is extremely important because you don’t want unexcused absences or truancies (a “truancy” is when the school thinks you ditched.)
• During school: If you feel sick, or have a headache, etc., ask your teacher for a nurse’s pass. Once you’re in the nurse’s office (located in the Attendance Office) sign in on the clipboard and let the nurse know what’s wrong, and if you need to go home.

You get a detention:

Most likely, you were either talking in class, weren’t following dress code, or some other minor thing. Do not stress out. You will still graduate. Believe it or not, detentions happen to the best of us, and they aren’t that horrible. Make sure you look at the posted schedule to find out where you have to report for detention. If you need to reschedule your detention, go to the Attendance Office and they will assist you. Do NOT forget your detention! If you do, you’ll receive Saturday detention, and you won’t get to sleep in. You have to wear your uniform on Saturday, too. Remember to tell your carpool/parents/guardians, that you will be staying late after school because of your detention.

You forget:

• Your iPad, or your battery dies: You will forget your iPad at some point, whether you leave it charging at home, or in the car. In this situation, go to class early to let all of your teachers know that you won’t have your iPad for the day. If you leave your iPad in a previous class, ask your teacher if you can go get it. If your iPad is low on battery, ask around for a charger. Most teachers will let you charge it during class, and they might even keep an extra charger themselves.   
• Your P.E. clothes: You get points taken off if you don’t dress up for P.E., but no worries, you’re not going to fail. If you have a friend who has P.E. a different period, ask if they will let you borrow their clothes. If you still end up without clothes, it’s not the end of the world.
• Your locker combination: Hopefully, when you got your lock, you wrote down your combo on a note or in your phone (recommended). If you didn’t write it down and still can’t remember it, the attendance office has a copy of your combination (on that little slip of paper you turned in the first week of school.) You can ask them to give it to you. If you failed to turn your slip in, they will have to cut off your lock, and you will need to purchase a new one.
• Your homework: The homework policy for each teacher is in their syllabus. Some teachers are very lenient, while others have zero-tolerance policies. Whatever the case, do NOT be tempted to copy your friend’s homework or pull some other trick. A “zero” in the grade book isn’t nearly as bad as a disciplinary referral for cheating. If the assignment is relatively short, the library is a good place to go and re-do it before class. 

DON’T STRESS ABOUT…

College:

Focus on your grades freshman year – despite rumors, they matter (most colleges and universities do factor freshman year grades into your GPA.) However, you do not need to be planning out, in detail, the next ten years of your life. While it’s good to stay on top of things, freshman year is not the time to decide what college you want to go to, and your career path. You can (and you will) worry about those things your junior and senior years. Enjoy being a freshman.

Friends:

While friends are obviously important, they are not the end-all, be-all. You’ll meet some of your best friends when you least expect it. You might feel like you know everyone after freshman year, but you don’t. You’ll meet new people and new friends sophomore and junior year, too!

Popularity:

Despite popular (ba-dum-tss) belief, popularity is not important, we promise you. Don’t try to change yourself because you think it’s “cool,” or worry about whether or not you “fit in.” Our school is very large and you’ll find the best people, people just like you, by being yourself.

Relationships:

Don’t worry about finding your soulmate freshman year. There are a lot of other important things to invest your time in. Focus on yourself, your academics, and strengthening your faith and relationship with God!