Freshmen Year | Teen Ink

Freshmen Year

May 10, 2010
By Katie Ness BRONZE, Park Ridge, Illinois
Katie Ness BRONZE, Park Ridge, Illinois
2 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Why doesn’t anyone stand up for the freshmen?
When one walks through the hallways of the average high school, many cocky upper class men strut down the hall with the greatest of confidence, but then one will see the nerdy little freshmen with a 35 pound backpack running to get to class on time. All the upper class men will laugh and think of their miserable days as freshmen.
Everyone laughs at the freshmen and treats them as though they are juvenile and unwise. And the seniors, of course, who are a whole two years older than us, have more wisdom than we, freshmen, can possibly imagine. That makes me laugh, because in all honesty it is because of our innocence that we aren’t doing the stupid things the upper class men are doing. Most freshmen don’t drink and do drugs, whereas senior and junior year is the prime time for drinking, partying, getting high, and being an idiot. In all honesty the freshmen have a whole lot more insight then the impulsive seniors who maybe know more about the world, but only because they are conforming to it. Freshmen may know little about drugs, and alcohol but then again, ignorance is bliss.
Then there is the athletics issue. As one moves up the athletics levels the priveleges get better and better. The uniforms and the equipment of the varsity athletes are twice as expensive of that of the freshmen athletes. The freshmen level suffers from the school budget cuts, because the varsity coaches demand their athletes need new uniforms. We, freshmen, always get the worst practice times, the ugliest uniforms, the cheapest equipment, and the least publicity, and when a freshmen ever ventures to ask “Why don’t we get any of that stuff?”’ The answer is “because you are a freshmen.” Well okay thanks for stating the obvious, as though I did not know what level I play for. I would like to remind the person who told me that, that we are the future varsity athletes so we should be receiving the same treatment as them.
In addition to the other annoyances of freshmen year, there are all these dumb freshmen traditions. Such as goggles day, the swimming pool run, and soccer ball shagging for varsity. Why are freshmen forced to embarrass themselves? I imagine upper class men receive much enjoyment from watching us be idiots, but did it ever occur to them that maybe we don’t get much enjoyment from being subject to all of their shenanigans.
I know that we are just little old freshmen with no self respect, no dignity, and no brain, but we are the future upper class men and we deserve better then the nonsense we receive day in and day out. I know the freshmen discrimination will never stop because every upper class men wants to get payback for their own freshmen year. I know this is a lost cause, but I thought I’d express my thought on the matter anyway. All I have to say now is that I cannot wait until next year, so watch out freshies because then… it’s payback time!


The author's comments:
Being a freshmen stink and anyone who has gone through that awkaward year agrees. It is stressful, discriminatory, and insane. I am so ready to no longer be at the bottom of the social food chain and I think every other freshmen out there knows where I am coming from.

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