The bell rings, freshman get trampled, and summer is officially over. The beginning of the school year can be a scary time for freshman, but it can be made easier by following a few simple rules.

Follow the dress code, if not for you, for the sake of the other students and their precious vision. “I don’t like how the freshman girls wear short skirts that show everything they have,” said junior Jason Shackelton. Nobody wants to see how much of your body you can show off; the dress code is there for a reason and should be followed with respect.

Be sure to keep up your grades and always do your homework, because if you don’t, you can be sure that your grades will suffer. “Don’t slack off, because if you ruin one year, you might as well ruin the rest,” said junior Sara Hansche. If that’s not enough to convince you to do your best once you get to high school, “Your freshman and junior years are your hardest,” said Shackelton.

Before school, hang out with your friends, be quiet, and you won’t bother anyone. “My biggest problem is that they [freshmen] have big mouths and they don’t show respect for anything or anyone. You can hear them from down the hall,” said Hansche So once the bell rings and your friends are still standing in the middle of the hallway, don’t say you weren’t warned when people start to shove right through you.

This next tip isn’t a rule, but is still something that should be followed anyway. Always remember that acting your age and respecting those who are older is important. “Despite being the youngest in the school, they have the feeling that they’re better than everyone else,” said senior Regina Harris. Not only do they feel like they’re better than everyone else, they “try to act older than they are, and come off to be younger,” said Shackelton.

Along with following these simple rules to save the sanity of upperclassmen, you should also be aware of some myths you might be told. “They [upperclassmen] told me there was a swimming pool on the third floor,” said Hansche. As fun as it might seem, don’t try to get to the third floor, and don’t try to find something that’s “near the swimming pool,” because neither one exist.