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You may have someone in your life who has gone through the exact same thing you are about to so don’t be afraid to ask about his perspective. Get insider information about teachers, homework, or activities from people who still have it fresh in their mind. Ask questions like “who was your toughest teacher”, “what’s the funnest elective”,  “what’s the quickest way to get to the gym to the cafeteria”, and “what’s the best thing to order for lunch?” Your school will already have a system in place to help you adjust. Find out which counselors, teachers, and administrators are trained specifically to help you. You will most likely meet them during orientation so introduce yourself. Make sure to take note of what each person specializes in, there may be an administrator who helps with electives and a counselor that helps with stress and dealing with your workload. Your school may offer mentoring programs where older students offer support and advice. Sign up if necessary or ask teachers, counselors, or administrators to help you find someone on your own if there isn’t a program currently set up. Make sure your mentor is someone you get along with. Find someone new if you feel like your personalities clash. Speak to teachers outside of class to get personal advice tailored to you. Let teachers know ahead of time where you think you might need improvement. If you don’t know how you can improve yourself, ask about the class requirements and ask additional questions as you begin to get a sense of the workload.  Introduce your parents to your teachers and counselors. While there may already be scheduled parent-teacher meetings, take any opportunity you can to introduce your parents to teachers and counselors so they know they can reach out to each other when you are having problems or have any questions.  For example, you may ask the music teacher to help set up a practice schedule and a meeting with the school band leader. This may be the first time that you are able to choose electives. Getting your parents involved will give you support and help establish a team atmosphere. They may help find valuable information that you can’t find on your own. Your parents may not want you to join certain sports or activities for safety reasons or they may cost too much. Keeping them in the loop will help you find good alternatives that suit your schedule, budget, and interests. Remember that extra activities may mean that your parents may have to save money or change their schedule to help accommodate yours so take that into consideration when you make the decision together. They may also be considered that it takes time away from you other school and family responsibilities so come up with a reasonable schedule together. The more parents and students your parents know, the stronger your support system will be. Your parents will be able to pool resources like carpooling, activities, or study groups. This is also a chance for your parents to form their own support group. Talking to parents of other freshman can help them ease any anxiety.
Talk to older siblings, cousins, or friends. Find out who specifically deals with freshman. Find peer mentoring programs. Speak directly to teachers. Ask your parents for help to decide courses. Talk to your parents about clubs and activities. Introduce your parents to other parents.