Freshman year has proven itself to be completely different than expected for Michael Reyes. The bigger hallways, advanced curriculum, and social life were a handful among many things that didn’t offer optimism. Biology papers kept on coming, Math and English were demanding, and Social Studies kept handing out worksheets. It was assignment after assignment non-stop. Michael knew things got real when he was doing hours of work on Saturday.

“It’s a lot more stressful, there’s more of it (schoolwork) and how much quicker I have to complete it by, instead of 2 weeks, I get one week” This is a common sentiment among first-year students in Fulshear. The classes are harder and have implications for college. This struggle is amplified by the increase in high schoolers taking AP classes that add a whole other level of complexity and work. But for Michael, the biggest inconvenience isn’t the difficulty, it is the stress of knowing he must turn in his assignments on a certain day and knowing turning it in late is not an option.

However, the real culprit of late work, bad grades, and stress is none other than procrastination. According to the article “Here’s What Procrastinators Are Doing Instead of Schoolwork.” by Rebecca Klein, 86% of high school students “procrastinate on school assignments,” and most students procrastinate because they “get distracted by other things”. These “things” could be physical actions or mental obstacles that won’t let you work your best.

“I contemplate a lot, a lot more than I used to. During school, I would tell myself I’m going to go home and do my homework; when I got home, I would delay it until late at night. Then I would delay before class, then I do it during class, and eventually, I just turn it in late.” Telling yourself that “I’ll get it done later” builds a false sense of security. If you want your brain to believe something, it will believe it, and giving yourself false hope that you’ll be able to turn in assignments in time without doing the work is only worsening the situation.

However, these struggles for Michael are becoming a thing of the past. A key point in a student’s life is the ability to get work done, no matter the obstacle. Turning homework from a grievance into an opportunity will lead to many gifts later in life. For Michael, he doesn’t know what the future holds, but he has started to reach a benchmark point when it comes to maturity.

Like many first-year students, Michael is trying to find a balance between relaxation and work; while it has not been easy, he’s constantly finding ways to improve, and he’s begun to use the technology that can cause procrastination to his own benefit. “I started placing reminders on my phone, to remind myself of due dates, and when to do stuff(schoolwork) and when to complete it.” Said Michael. Phone calendars and reminders are starting to become the norm for high school students across the country. With most students owning an electronic device, more people can hold a calendar in their own palms. Besides, innovative technology in recent times has given teachers an opportunity to better connect with their students and give them the help they need to succeed. More teachers are using Zoom and YouTube to teach as there is no longer a need for a student to be in the classroom every day since there is so much information on the internet.

“I just remind myself; it’s going to get better. I’m only a freshman. I’m going to get used to it, it just takes 3 more years.” Unfortunately for future 9th graders, there is only so much we can do to simplify learning because our society is constantly changing. Freshman year will be a struggle for many students in the near future, but it is a necessary hurdle to overcome. Michael sums it up perfectly. While freshman year offers a new beginning to incoming high schoolers, all of us as a society will experience hundreds, or even thousands of new beginnings. While these sudden changes can be worrying, you must tackle the challenges head on so you can live a truly fulfilling life.