Day 180 - Advice to the Class of 2021 - BHS Guidance Blog

Each spring, we ask grade nine students to reflect on the past school year and share advice about the transition to high school with the current eighth grade. Here is advice from the class of 2020 to the class of 2021.

Starting in a new place:

1. It's a little scary at first, but once you know your way around and all the teachers, it's easy.
2. Don't stress over the changing of buildings. It's easy to navigate (BHS) and teachers are supercool.
3. High school is more fun than what it seems. All of the classes are interesting.
4. Be prepared for new experiences and looking forward to what you want to do later in life.
5. Just be yourself.
6. Be open to making new friends.
7. Don’t stress out too much. It’s a big change, but you get used to it fast.

Getting around:

1. Don't worry about being lost in the beginning of the year. The teachers will help you.
2. Ask for directions!
3. Know cut-throughs between the library and art rooms when going to classes. And don’t be afraid to talk to or ask older students for help! (we're not as scary as we seem)
4. Walk around the school before the year starts. If you get lost, just ask someone. They’re very helpful.
5. YOU WILL FIND YOUR WAY AROUND THE SCHOOL.

Academics:

1. I say be prepared for the tests. Studying effectively is important, more in high school.
2. Don’t slack, even on easy assignments.
3. Keep focus in class and take notes.
4. Stay organized.
5. Do not wait until the last hour to study or do your work.
6. Don’t miss any homework and respect your teachers.
7. Don’t stress too much about a few tests; there’s always time to do better.
8. Don’t play games on your iPad and don’t give teachers a hard time.
9. Don’t stress out a lot because it will just go downhill from there.
10. School comes before sports.
11. Pick a subject that you enjoy for high levels. For subjects you enjoy less, pick lower levels.
12. Really take homework seriously. It’s helpful for quizzes and tests.
13. Ask for help as soon as you need it. Don’t wait until the end of the year.
14. Even if you don’t finish an assignment, turn it in for partial credit.
15. Take advantage of extra credit.

Getting involved:

1. Do whatever clubs you want- even if you only show up once and find out you don’t like it still try it.
2. Don’t only focus on school; save time for hobbies, friends, extracurriculars, and family.
3. Try new things; it pays off.
4. Don’t feel bad if you’re not as good at sports compared to the older students.
5. Doing a sport and trying new things is helpful. You don’t always need prior experience- give it a shot.
6. Relax and have fun!
7. If you plan to do extracurriculars, make sure you have rides.
8. Don’t try to force yourself into a group. You’ll just naturally form a group of friends without noticing it.

Day 73 - College Snapshots - BHS Guidance Department

This originally appeared on the BHS Guidance Department's College Snapshot Blog

In an effort to provide Burlington High School students and their families with relevant and up-to-date college information, the Guidance Staff will be visiting various colleges and universities and providing you with information. The colleges visited do not represent a preference on the part of the BHS Guidance Department towards any particular school.

In the college search process, many things are taken into consideration. Things that are considered, but not limited to are: campus size, location, number of students on campus, majors, tuition, distance from home, athletic programs, clubs and other activities. When considering a college, students must also make realistic decisions based on personal interest, grades, test scores, etc.

The department feels that the college visit is an integral part of the process, and we strongly encourage students to visit any and all schools that interest them, especially if these schools are fairly close by. The information we provide is only a small snapshot into each respective college. We hope to add information about other schools in the future, and as always we appreciate any feedback that you have that would help us provide our students and their families useful information in the sometimes overwhelming college search process.

Furthermore we ask that students also research colleges by using their Naviance accounts and scheduling meetings with their counselor on a consistent basis. Please feel free to contact your son or daughter's individual counselor if you have any further questions.

Anna Maria College

Anna Maria College

Paxton, MA

Visited by Ms. Minty on 12/15/13

Population of school: 1000 undergraduates

Campus type: 192 acre campus surrounded by paths through woods, small farms, and nurseries about 10 minutes outside the city of Worcester. Anna Maria is a member of the Worcester Consortium, which includes 11 additional colleges.

Most popular majors: Nursing, Criminal Justice, Music, Social Work and Education.

President's Building

Unique majors: Music Therapy, Fire Science, Paramedics and Health and Community Services, a new major that prepares students to work within the health care system, but in a non-clinical setting, mainly helping patients with navigation of the health care system.

Snapshot: Anna Maria is a small, private, Catholic, coeducational Master's level college with career-oriented programs based in the liberal arts. Class sizes are extremely small (15 or fewer is typical) and most majors involve an internship.  

Though only about 50% of the students on campus are Catholic, all students are required to take three religion courses and attending weekly Mass is very popular, though not required. There is a huge emphasis on community service, and Christmas is a very big event on campus. Most everywhere I went, I saw Christmas trees, wreaths and other decorations. Some of the most popular annual events are the "Giving Tree" where students buy Christmas presents for needy children in the community and host a party for them, as well as a fancy Christmas dinner put on by the college president and his wife. Two ice skating rinks were being built while I toured, and are an annual tradition, one for figure skating and one for hockey. Athletics and being "green" are also emphasized on campus. The college is heated entirely by silo and is in the process of building a large solar farm.

Admissions: Average admitted GPA is 2.6 and the college is SAT/ACT optional. Students are automatically considered for the Honors Program when they apply.  There are currently three BHS alumni attending Anna Maria.

Typical dorm

Dorm kitchen

 Bridgewater State University

Bridgewater State University

Bridgewater, Mass.

Visited 11/21/13 by Ms. Diozzi & Ms. Minty

# of undergraduates:  9328
Type of campus:  Suburban/Small town

Founded as  "Normal School" in 1840, Bridgewater was originally a coeducational teachers' college. Its name was change from "Bridgewater State Teachers' College" to Bridgewater State College in 1960. Currently, Bridgewater State University is one of seven colleges in the Mass. state university system and is made up of five colleges, Bartlett College of Science and Math, Ricciardi College of Business, the College of Education and Allied Studies, College of Humanities and Social Science, and the College of Graduate Studies.

Bridgewater has undergone many renovations on campus in recent years and the architects of the campus have done an excellent job blending old and new buildings.  The campus is very clean and pretty and easily walkable.  It is entirely non-smoking.  The student body is very diverse.

Approximately 20-25% of recent senior classes have applied. Currently there are well over a dozen BHS alumni enrolled at Bridgewater.

Performing arts auditorium

Beautiful new dormitory

New multi-million dollar science center