6 Biggest Lessons From Freshman Year

1. Don't procrastinate! You'll come to regret it... the day before whatever assignment is due. Trust me, been there, done that - several times at least. Sadly, no one will listen to me, but it's a nice reminder!
2. Every point counts! Some people end the semester just a few points away from an A. Maybe they could have worked harder on participation or turned in one assignment. It's just really unfortunate to see people so close, yet so far away.
3. Back on the points matter... Always raise your hand! Reel in those participation points. Those points are basically gimme's. They are so easy to get, yet if you don't participate at all they can really affect your grade. Also, if you aren't the best test taker, the participation points are a cushion for your not-as-great test scores. Pro-tip: Raise your hand lots in Biology. 
4. Stay organized! Whether it's having a binder for each class or one huge binder with lots of little sections, keeping your papers organized is a key aspect at Troy. You may think it won't benefit you in the future, but when the time comes for studying for finals... you'll be grateful to have all your papers organized and read to study from!
5. Always, always, always do the extra credit, no excuses!! Even if its the beginning of the year and you have a 98% in a class, you never know what your grade will become in the future. I had a 98% in math which went in a gradual decline to an A-. I regret not completing the extra credit! So always do the extra credit. Those high A's aren't stable - especially in the harder classes!
6. If you're thinking about dropping an honor class, I would definitely question yourself. Ask yourself these questions: Do I not understand the material and asked for teacher's help but still don't understand it (this only works if you have a teacher who actually teaches)? [If you said yes here then I personally would drop. It isn't a matter of habits, just understanding the material.]  Am I trying my hardest? [I know that sounds cliche but if you trouble then there's not much you can do other than dropping the class]

~currently expanding~

Helpful Links for Studying!

Click here for official textbook list

Spanish 1 Textbook

• If you have trouble grasping a grammar concept/ vocabulary in Spanish, classzone.com should be helpful! On the website it includes animated grammar, extra practice, quizzes for each lessons, online flashcards, etc. Check it out for yourself and see if it's helpful! Another website is studyspanish.com. Although the website isn't tailored to the book like classzone.com is, it has more detailed in the grammar explanations and has even more tests/ quizzes you can take! All you have to do is sign up for a free student membership.

Algebra 2 Honors Textbook

• For Algebra 2 Honors: http://www.phschool.com/webcodes10/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.gotoWebCode&wcprefix=ajk&wcsuffix=0099. The website includes worked out examples for each lesson in the book (under extra help), a self-test (the answers for these are sometimes really wrong), key terms for each chapter, etc.

Algebra 2 Textbook

• For regular Alegbra 2: http://www.classzone.com/books/algebra_2/index.cfm?state=CA. It has extra challenges and examples for each lesson, flashcards and crosswords for vocabulary terms (Flipcard activity & Crossword Puzzle), and they even have a games for people who think math is boring. It is just basically a simple game with questions in between each level. (The graphics are very simple so don't expect much)

Khan Academy Logo

• There are lots of online tutorials but I think the best of the best is at Khan Academy! They have lots of comprehensive videos on a large variety of subjects! I go here for Biology mainly, but they have lots of subjects, from Geometry to SAT prep! Unfortunately, they don't have foreign languages or anything related to English. See their diverse videos yourself!
• There are also other online tutorials like http://www.courserepository.org/ (It's very extensive in Biology!) 

• For Biology, studying off the CD practice quizzes/ tests are the best place. If you need extra help go to your teacher or check out the online tutorial sites!

• For honors Chemistry: Student Study Guide has summaries of the sections and interactive examples where you can answer questions as you learn or review and the Online Learning Center: has self-assessments, Animations, Chapter summaries, and more.
• Also, Crash Course has great videos (for Euro too) !

• Now there aren't many sites for English help since English consists mainly of essays and analyzing, some helpful sites include SparkNotes, but we all know that website already don't we? If don't already know what SparkNotes is, this nifty site will tell you all about SparkNotes and what it offers. Two other websites are Cliff Notes and Shmoop ; you may also consider checking out cliffnote's book study guides from a local library. Shmoop is really helpful for reading quizzes since they have quote and symbol quizzes; it is has lots of great things, you really just need to explore it! If you have trouble with grammar http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/ has lots of tips!
• For the Non-Western History class, the test concepts are based on handouts and not solely on the book. There are map questions for each unit we learn though. One of the hardest maps for me to memorize was Africa. After using http://www.ilike2learn.com/ilike2learn/africa.html I almost aced that section the test. If you prefer doing it old-school you can always print out a blank map and just fill in the countries.
• If you're having trouble in math, check out videos from Khan Academy (see above), Patrick's Videos (great for calculus students) or Paul's Notes. Again, each student learns differently so try each website and see which one helps you the most!
• AP Cram Packets
• Troy Guides (VERY HELPFUL!)
• Anti-Procrastination Apps

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Studying for Finals (any class)

1st semester has come to an end and the dreaded finals week is over! [Cheers] Now in hindsight I feel that I should have studied much harder for Spanish. It may actually be my only B (hopefully!) My geography grade was at a solid A so I didn't have to worry about that too much! Now no one wants to hear my rant on about my grades so here's some
tips for studying for the finals: 

1. Always study the study guides the teacher gives!
2. If there's a cheat sheet, write all over it. Abuse that thing. Everyone says that things you write down you remember, so you won't have to glance onto your cheat sheet too often on the test.
3. Anticipate your teacher's questions! If your algebra teacher has a special liking towards factoring, expect some factoring questions! My biology teacher loves ecology and half of the test was on ecology - funny how it works out, isn't it?
4. Study all the handouts of for math: study notes, warm-ups, review worksheets (if your teacher gives them), maybe homework - if you can read it
5. Don't procrastinate your studying! You may be able to cram in some concepts if you already understood the concepts in the past. Something you can't procrastinate on is vocabulary. (At least I can't) You'll have to review vocabulary everyday in order for it to stick into your mind.
6. When studying, try to go to the library, or somewhere that has no distractions. Yes, that means off the computer!
7. Utilize your resources by going onto websites that help you review the material, making flashcards, asking questions about confusing concepts.
8. Get a good sleep and eat a good breakfast before the final! You don't want to be sleepy during one of those tests... 

Hope those tips were helpful! 

In the Beginning

I used to be just an average, bright 8th grader who was hoping for a chance at the prestigious Troy High. Now little did I know what I was in for. It was roughly a year ago that I took the test for TT/ IB. Fortunately I passed both of the tests and was admitted into Troy's Pre-IB program! I was part of a large group of out-of-district kids, but I was one of the farthest ( over an hour's drive to Troy). Soon after I moved into Troy's proximity so I had a mere ten minutes drive to Troy.

Now how about that test? To be completely honest, the test was challenging but not impossible. I would equivalent the English portion to the CST English - except the written part, that was hard. For me, I overestimated the test and it was a lot easier than I expected. The math was  definitely no joke. Why in bold you ask? Well first of all, I can never spell that word right; secondly, it was extremely challenging. Almost everyone had trouble finishing it! If you have a good foundation of algebra and guessing I think you should be prepared enough. I must admit I actually took a prep class to get into Troy since I had no gauge of the difficulty of the exam but I don't think it helped me too much overall except for preparing me for the written portion (wasted $800...).

Introduction

So this will be my first blog! I'm a total noob to this whole 'blogging' concept, but I'm sure I'll understand it soon! This blog will illustrate my journey through my fun high school life at Troy High School in Fullerton.

A little about me: I'm a freshman at Troy. I'd like this blog to prepare future students about Troy's life. For me, I pretty much came to Troy with barely any prior information about classes or teachers. I don't want other unfortunate souls to be swept up by Troy's fast pace so this is my way of preparing other kids!  My viewpoints and tips will be at a perspective of a TT/IB student.

Note: This blog isn't for all highschoolers. It's just mainly for students at Troy. My tips are tailored for certain teachers/ classes. As I get my friends to help me expand this blog, I will have more tips that can help people with other classes at Troy. :)