Changing schools?

[Doomsday]

I am at the end of my 2nd high school year (11th grade), and I don't know if it is the same for all of you americans, but in portugal we gotta pick an extra discipline. We got like Psychology, extra Biology, etc. Anyway, after a bit of investigation, I figured that if I want to go to the courses that I want in uni, namely most stuff related with arts and drawing, I need to take a certain discipline that my school, being a small one, does not have.
My parents are putting some pressure that I go to the school in the nearest city, and while I full-heartedly agree with them, I am absolutely terrified at not only leaving all my friends behind, but also meeting new people. I'm afraid I won't fit in I guess. The stupidest thing about this is that after this year I will go to university and will leave everyone behind whether I do want it or not.
Anyway, I was hoping the coolest forum ever could give me some emotional advice on how to handle this.

 

[hbdragon88]

Sorry, I know it's not what you want, but...an extra discipline? Like does that entail x amount of classes? In the United States you can pick Advanced Placement classes, take an exam, and get college credit, sounds similar, but it may not be.

 

[Doomsday]

Let me elaborate, in 10th grade you pick two classes (I picked Biology and Chesmitry), in 11th you take exams for those two classes and they are considered done. That also goes for Philosophy and English. So in 12th grade all I will have will be Maths, Portuguese, physical education (lol) and that extra discipline.

 

[unceunce]

I'm ending my second year of Highschool too, and going into 11th.

I'm also changing schools :d

At first, it kinda came down like a bomb, and it takes a while for the shock to wash over. But, after a while, you realize it's not that big of a deal. Get used to it :/

 

[DM]

It will be difficult. You'd be leaving everything familiar and heading into the unknown. But you have to look at it this way: what is the purpose of changing schools? To better yourself. To give yourself greater future prospects, and to further educate yourself more than your current school could.

In the grand scheme of things, high school is nothing more than a socially formative time, and it seems to me like you'd find your place at the new school in a pinch. The years after high school are the ones that count the most, and you have to prepare yourself for them in the best way you possibly can. If that means changing schools, then you have to change schools. Remember, living for yourself doesn't always equal selfishness.

 

[FiveKRunner]

In the grand scheme of things, high school is nothing more than a socially formative time, and it seems to me like you'd find your place at the new school in a pinch. The years after high school are the ones that count the most, and you have to prepare yourself for them in the best way you possibly can. If that means changing schools, then you have to change schools. Remember, living for yourself doesn't always equal selfishness.

To add on to this very good point, moving on from what you're familiar with is going to become a part of life very soon. If you do choose to stay with your regular friends for one more year, you'll have to part ways for college. After college, you'll lose ties that you had when you find a job.

In short, since you're going to be parting with friends soon anyway, you might as well overcome it now and get a positive benefit out of it in the process.

 

[CaptKirby]

I switched schools from 9th to 10th grade, so I was in the same general emotional and mental frame that you probably are. One thing I had to deal with that you might not is that it was still a time of bullying, and I got bullied at the new school, but fortunately, after I kicked the first guy's ass it stopped. That goes into crowds and all that too so whatever. Anyway, the first two months I was there I felt like a fucking alien, but, at the same time, it was a Christian Conservative school, so that did not help, but it was not the sole cause. Some time though I just started having a blast with everyone. (I totally left after that year; that school was awful)

Also, going to college can be incredibly different. In high school, I was able to make a whole new set of friends after a couple months; in college, I have had 100+ classes everywhere but German, so my only real friends I made in a class were pretty much from the 20 person German classes lol

 

[Bam]

I moved from Nevada to Colorado between pre-k and 1st grade, from Colorado back to Nevada after 3rd grade, then after 4th grade we moved to a different house in Las Vegas, so I then went to a different elementary school for 5th grade. After 5th grade is Jr. High, so I once again moved schools. I changed schools five times in five years.

That's why I wasn't really socially adept until recently (as in two years ago, I'm currently in 11th grade), and if you knew me you'd still be able to tell a difference between me and everybody else at my school who's been in the area for all their years. Changing schools early in life makes a much bigger difference than changing later in life, though.

As others have already said, you're going to be moving out/going to college/etc. the year after next, so doing it right now won't make too big of a difference. So far during high school I've seen myself and all my friends begin to "find themselves" (sounds gay but I'm sure you know what I mean), so even if you do switch schools, it shouldn't take you too long to make friends and sort out with everybody there. And just because you move doesn't make it impossible to associate with your friends that you currently go to school with, it might just make it a bit harder to see them as often as you do now.

 

[jpchato]

Being independent can be difficult for some. It was for me. I ended up getting my first F in university, followed by two more. I was so caught up having fun that I neglected school.

Finances can get difficult too.

All of these difficulties only make you stronger though. My advice would be to change schools, follow your dreams, and go with the flow. You can't control life and sometimes it throws a few curveballs...all you can do is adapt yourself. Good luck

 

[Kietharr]

The big issue I have with highschool is it honestly does not reward intelligence at all. I have probably two teachers that are exceptions to that general policy. People who are dumber than shit pull better grades than I do because stupid teachers take pity on them and don't grade their essays as harshly.

Ranting example: Big paper this year, every junior has to do it. It's a persuasive essay about a conflict that America took part in, focusing on what caused said conflict. I wrote about the American involvement in the Russian Civil War, the only unique topic. about 40% of the school picked Vietnam, another 50% picked WWII. I met most requirements, but got the harshest teacher. I got 10 points short of a B because he decided to dock me because I had a margin .1in too large and I added more sources than needed to my annotated bibliography, and forgot to alphabetize my new sources. He edited a few of my drafts (after my attempts at getting a good peer edit failed miserably, "it organize good." is not feedback) and didn't warn me of half of the errors he docked me down on. Honestly, I like the fact that he graded me based wholly on the rubric, but I'd have loved it if all essays were graded to the same fucking standard.

Some random dumb bitch had three pages uncited on a topic that we were specifically asked NOT to do (the current Iraq war, due to credible sources and worthless information being difficult to determine) without a bibliography. She scores a point higher than me. She got a teacher that loved her and was willing to overlook absolutely everything to pass her. She also got an education award for best Junior English student, I was thrown out of the assembly when I was laughing hysterically well after the applause died down considering she is only now managing a C in English after failing for two years. The most hilarious part is she was bitching when she heard that A senior missing a P.E. credit and a required foreign language credit was getting to graduate, paraphrased quote "I WORKED HARD FOR MY AWARDS AND GRADES ITS NOT FAIR THAT SOMEONE MISSING CREDITS CAN GRADUATE ON TIME". The most hilarious thing is she's not graduating on time either. She's also fat which explains many things.

The most hilarious part was the confrontation after I was thrown out of the assembly for laughing at the staff's utter favoritism and incompetence. She started bitching me out and citing ADD when I asked her how well she'd done in English the previous years, and citing her extracurricular work when I pointed out that she was near the bottom of our class in English scores. I asked her if extracurricular work involved sucking any dicks then called her fat and made her cry, I almost got suspended for the rest of the year but I simply stated that SHE started the confrontation and SHE was the one who started insulting me first. I made up bullshit about my laughter being unrelated to said awards and that she took it out of context. We have a somewhat sensible principal (who also thinks she's a dumb bitch for forcing said senior to come back for another year) so he agreed with me and I got off scot free. On the way out of school that day I told her not to fuck with someone who is her superior in essentially every aspect of life aside from eating. That day ruled.

 

[Minwu]

Couldn't you just keep in contact with your friends over E-mail or IM?

 

[Doomsday]

Couldn't you just keep in contact with your friends over E-mail or IM?

It is a small town, so most likely I will meet them more often than I think so. And yes, MSN is always here. I will always meet with a couple of friends I go to gym with every week, so at least those two I will be able to keep up with.

I think part of why I'm feeling so anxious is that I got a friend who moved schools at the middle of last year, and we really haven't been in contact. I mean, sure, I can talk to him via MSN but it's nothing like in real life. Although if I look at this issue fairly, he also doesn't go out frequently with us (unlike me), so maybe I am blowing this completely out of proportion?...

There's also the fact that 80% of people in high school are dumb fucks. I have been in this very school for 10 years, and only in the last 2 years have I managed to find people that i really liked (I had friends before, but in the 10th and 11th grade was when I had the best class mates ever).

 

[Krouton]

I know what you're going through. My dad, a Director of Something-or-other at a technology company's main priority is to move around and open up officers, dragging his family around. I too am a sophomore in high school and adjusting from school to school is difficult in itself - making friends seems nearly impossible. While I suggest trying to keep in contact with your friends, as previously mentioned, in a sense you need to move on.

As for making friends, I have found that joining a sport and club have made me quite a few friends. Once you make one great friend in a new school, you pretty much enter their social group. I'm not sure if America is the same as your country, but in the few countries I've lived in the social food chain has remained the same. Another simpler way to meet friends (from what it sounds like, you're very busy) is to make friends in-class. You mentioned "extra classes" you would be taking and biology and chemistry were included. One way I made my current best-friend was through my lab partner. Good luck next year. Changing schools shouldn't be too bad, you just have to try.

Good luck! Hope I helped,
Krouton