Freshman year is an exciting time for teenagers. You’re ready to finally go into your high school years and leave middle school behind. I just recently graduated from DeLand High, and I can honestly say I have a few regrets about my decisions from Freshman year that impacted me for the rest of high school.
I cannot stress this enough, TAKE THE PERT TEST AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. The PERT test is a free exam you can take if you sign up when the school is offering it throughout the year. The school usually offers it about three times a year and you can sign up by scanning QR codes on flyers posted in the halls.
When you pass the PERT test you are allowed to start taking dual enrollment classes at Daytona State College. Dual Enrollment courses are similar to AP courses where you’re doing college courses for both high school and college credit. Coming from someone who’s done both AP and dual enrollment classes, I highly recommend dual enrollment especially if you’re not a great test taker.
The reason I would recommend this for freshmen is because the sooner you pass the PERT test and the earlier you start dual enrollment classes the more likely you’ll graduate high school with your associate’s degree and only need two years of college to get your bachelor's degree.
The final thing I would recommend doing if you’re a freshman is join an academy or club of some sort. Some that I would recommend are the Communications Academy, Engineering Academy, Hillstreet Theatre, AVID or ROTC. It genuinely depends on what you’re interested in and there are plenty of other clubs than the very few I listed, I would definitely look into it.
Freshmen, if you read this, I hope you take some of my advice and have a smoother time in high school than I did. From, a hopefully helpful DHS alumnus.
Photo by Izzy Helfrich
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