Adjustment from Private to Public School

For nearly all of my younger years, I attended a private, PreK-8th school. When I was in 8th grade, I decided I wanted to go to high school at a public school. No one really told me how vastly different they would be from each other. I loved it though. Starting at Roosevelt also meant the start of my passion for educating myself and those around me. I joined Young Feminists, cross country, Best Buddies, and track & field. Through all these activities, I formed my circle and really settled into the school.

It wasn't always easy, though. If I could offer advice to incoming 8th graders, specifically those who are coming from small schools to big schools, it is to really put yourself out there. I know it sounds cheesy and cliche, but that is exactly what I did and I attribute lots of my happiness about Roosevelt to that decision to branch out my freshman year. It is important to understand that friends come and go, and that solely staying with a tight-knit friend group from 8th grade may limit the interesting people you could meet.

Another thing to note about changing styles of schools is the difference in classroom atmosphere. While Roosevelt classrooms are definitely larger and less calm, they also provide a bigger pool of opinions to learn from. The student body is full of students with more diverse backgrounds than my previous school, and I learn a lot from my classmates. I would recommend the switch to any student because there is so much to learn that simply won't be taught at a private school, especially regarding issues related to the differing backgrounds of people.