The sophomore class of 2018-19 was asked to give suggestions and advice to the incoming sophomore classes – here’s what they had to say. (** = Similar advice came up repeatedly)

**Sophomore year is a big jump. Sophomore years is an amazing chance to mature, so make sure you take advantage of it. Do not get trapped in freshman year attitudes or behaviors! The adjustment can be difficult, but once you get the hang of things, you will do great! Use good study habits.

**Stay focused. Always plan ahead. Do your work when it’s assigned. Use time efficiently.

**Read the books closely; use the reading guides provided. (Summaries of books won’t tell you all the details you need.) Use strategies to help retain reading information: notes, audio books, reading guides…

**Do not be afraid to ask for help. Talk to your teachers; they are very cool people! They are always willing to guide you in the right direction and offer support.

**Do not plagiarize with friends, from on-line resources, or anything.

**Try not to let 10th grade stress you out. Grades and studying are important, but they are not everything. Keeping up with friends, family, sports, instruments, and other things are equally important. Find a healthy balance between school work and fun.

You may get bad grades (on individual assignments) but you can get your overall average back up if you work hard. (Lower grades are not the end of the world.) One bad grade means you can always improve. There are many opportunities to bring up your grades, especially in English.

**Do not take classes that are too difficult for you to handle just because your friends are taking them.

Enjoy sophomore year. Don’t worry about your grades so much. Make new friends and try new things. Try to get involved with activities.

Learn MLA formatting! Do not lose points for this.

**Start essays early and try to finish a day before the deadline.  Then with that extra day, read over the essay for grammar! Edit essays carefully. Try reading the draft out loud to hear errors.

Sophomore year is a blast! You’re going to love the books you read… Closely read the books when assigned, do your homework, and do not stress!

**Take advantage of the class time given to write! You do not realize how useful it is until after it is over.Be productive. You’ll thank yourself later!

Study for the vocabulary quizzes.

Make sure your essay has a really strong thesis; you can change your thesis later, though, to match what you have written.

**Do not procrastinate! Do not wait for reading or writing assignments until the last minute. Spread the work out over the days. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

**Reading quizzes are not easy.

**Essays are much more difficult now.

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