Sixth graders from all over Fairfax will be attending Longfellow next fall. Coming to a whole new school can be a bit intimidating and overwhelming, but in the end, it’s something we all have to go through.

Seventh grade can be a drastic change from 6th grade, with a larger workload, new classmates, and more. With the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s 7th graders and 8th graders alike experienced this rough transition to a new school.

“I wish I could’ve been a little bit more prepared for the amount of schoolwork and how important time management skills are,” 7th grader Evie K. reflected. In 7th grade, time management is crucial, with most classes assigning homework.

According to scholastic.com many students going into middle school fear not being able to keep up with classes.

“A child who is nervous about the increased workload may worry that there will be too much reading, or that he got good grades in elementary school not because he was smart, but because the teachers liked him,” the article said. 

“I am nervous about the harder curriculum and tests with letter grading,” Rising 7th grader Vadim B. said.

But keeping up with classes isn’t the only thing rising middle schoolers worry about. 

“At some schools, fashion is the arbiter of all things cool, and middle schoolers may live in dread of showing up with the wrong backpack, brand of jeans, or style of shoes,” Scholastic.com stated. 

No matter what brand your jeans are or the kind of shoes you are wearing, everyone has their own style and preferences, and nothing you wear is “uncool.” You don’t have to apologize or change anything you wear. Middle school can be an intimidating thing, and of course, we all feel self-conscious about certain things, but when we are surrounded by the right kind of people and all treat each other with value and respect, it makes everything a bit easier.