You heard every story from your siblings, your neighbors and/or your older friends. You went to the orientation and prepared yourself for the yellow brick walls, new teachers, and the labyrinth that is the second and third floor hallways. You thought you knew it all.

Then, somehow, you ended up on the third floor entering the portal to Narnia.

We get it. We’ve been there. But you have an advantage we didn’t have: us. The senior class. In all of our benevolent, year-older glory, we’ve compiled a list of protips to help you through your first year at NASH using both our experiences and some of your questions.

Protip 1: Make sure you know where each stairway goes.

Your first few weeks, it can feel like NASH was designed to chew you up and spit you out. Yet once you figure out where everything leads, it’s not nearly so complex. There are six stairwells in NASH with different traffic patterns leading to different hallways. Try out each stairwell, see how bad the traffic is, and figure out the easiest paths to your classes.

Oh and don’t use the music stairwell. Just don’t. Unless you enjoy getting crushed to death while the choir sings, “Hallelujah.”

Protip 2: Always have a spare jacket.

There is often a climate change in each section of the building. The cafeteria is always cold, the music rooms are always hot, and it’s anyone’s guess where the ones in the middle will be. Keep spare layers in your locker for when you enter the arctic (and for when you spill cafeteria food all over your new shirt).

Protip 3: Remember, your teachers are there for you.

Teachers are so often seen as “The Enemy” that when you get older it is easy to forget that teachers are there for you. If sine and cosine are about as clear to you as the ending of Game of Thrones (not at all), then don’t be afraid to go to a math teacher during homeroom for some extra help. Senior Kaitlin Stone said it best, “Just don’t be a jerk and the teacher will help you out.”

Protip 4: Wear deodorant.

Everyone has gym at least every other day and if you overdo it, that pretty girl across from you in calc is going to reject your homecoming proposal for the sole reason that you smell like a garbage fire after gym class. Always, always put some on in the morning and bring a spare stick for after class.

Protip 5: You don’t need to be with your SO every minute.

We get it, you’re in love and want to spend every minute together, but excessive hallway PDA makes us gag. It won’t kill you not to see them between classes.

Protip 6: If there is something you want to do, do it.

Junior year is a mess of stress and worry, but it’s also one of your last years of school. If there is something that interests you, do it. When else in your life can you see an open heart surgery, meet a congressmen, and go to D.C.?

Senior Lexie Vincenty advised, “If there is a field trip you want to go on, just do it.” It has nothing to do with what you plan to do at college and everything to do with the life experiences you want beforehand.

And finally, Protip 7: Let some things go.

As I talked with different juniors to get their feedback, I was overwhelmed when each one asked me the same question. Sure, they asked about lockers and the best classes, but the first question I received from every one of them was the same: “How do you balance your workload with your mental health?” And, in more deliberate terms, Junior Mohammed Rajbut asked, “Does life get worse?”

For both of these questions, the answer is the same. Life can and will get worse if you don’t learn a balancing act. In the end, the only way to keep yourself sane is to realize that if something goes wrong, you need to learn to let go.

If it’s 1 AM and you’re still awake because you had sports and extracurriculars and didn’t get home until ten, but you have six hours of homework (yes, we have ALL been there), slow down and remember to breathe.

The biggest protip we can offer you is the truth. There are moments when things are going to suck. You will question what you are doing with your life as you study for finals and go on college tours. But we can promise you that you’ll get through it.

Good luck and best wishes to you all!

-With love, the Senior Class