Four years ago, the class of 2014 entered campus as undersized, timid freshman. Somewhere over the course of these four years though, they transformed- and now they leave Cathedral as mature, capable seniors ready to tackle college, travels, and jobs. This transformation, however, did not occur without challenges and perhaps could have been assuaged had their freshman selves known some of their senior wisdom. So, El Cid asked the senior English classes to respond to the question, “What advice would you give to your freshman self?” Here are some of the responses.

1. Take the SAT early. -Jacob S.
2. Invest in Tesla. -Alex Z.
3. Go out there and don’t be shy or intimidated by anyone. Find the best looking girls and court them. -Logan H.
4. Make people feel good about themselves and make sure you hang out with people that make you feel good about yourself. -Erika G.
5. Don’t screw up -Crissy B.
6. Don’t focus on dating and don’t gossip. Also, your Facebook page isn’t your diary. -Theresa I.
7. Be closer to Mom and Dad. Especially Dad.   -Khoi N.
8. Say yes to new experiences. Be open to new things and try everything once. -Thomas J.
9. Learn to talk to people. Hold a conversation with someone for longer than five seconds! -Danny H.
10. Watch out for the metal bars on the bottoms of the classrooms’ tables that you can bang your knees on. -Olivia P.
11. High school won’t get easier. But you will get stronger. -John G.
12. Get to know your counselor. The sooner the better. The counselors are an incredible resource, very friendly, and always helpful. It’s never too early to start thinking about college, and Mr. Silva is awesome. -Ben L.
13. Get your license ASAP. -Michael K.
14. Don’t get caught up into what you look like or what other people are doing. Everyone is too busy worrying about themselves to judge you. -Sydney
15. Homework. Dude, for the love of God, do it. -Patrick I.
16. Don’t cut your hair. -Kira W.
17. Do the things that might seem weird or strange at first; go out of your comfort zone. I wish I would’ve done drama sooner and joined Campus Ministry when I had the opportunity to. -Jack S.
18. Play basketball. -Brady A.
19. Work hard in whatever you do! Also, put a smile on at least five people’s faces everyday. Another thing, keep your faith strong. And be number seven in every sport you play! -Xavier U.
20. Just be yourself because if everyone tries to be that same “popular” kid, then how do you have any original people? Don’t be living like the rest of everyone else; be an original! -Ethan E.
21. Go to every dance, just cause. -Victoria N.
22. Be as outgoing as possible. Don’t associate yourself with just one group. Try to find friends outside of your group or sport you play. -Aaron M.
23. Loosen up, high school’s not that hard. -Elizabeth A.
24. There are two bells: the ten and the five, so go to class on the second bell, not the first. -Dakota C.
25. Do not wear ankle socks, I repeat: do not wear ankle socks! -Anthony P.
26. Don’t take things too seriously, take the time to enjoy life and high school. -Molly R.