What do you wish you could tell your freshman self?
Michael Penczak ’26: “Don’t procrastinate. Get your work done ahead of time. That’s something I still tell myself.”
Grant Kruttschnitt ’26: “Do as many things as possible. When I was a freshman, I was worried that doing something meant I was tied to it for all four years. I wish I had realized that if I tried something, and I didn’t like it, I can [stop]. But it’s easier to get started with something and have a great experience for the entire four years if you do find something you really love.”
Elena Trimble ’26: “A lot of people change over the course of freshman year to senior year, and you change. Your social life might not look the same as it does in your freshman year to your senior year, but just take advantage of that experience and use it to get to know more people.”
Zachary Cummins ’26: “Try new things as early as possible and branch out as quickly as you can. As you get more comfortable, you’ll realize that taking risks isn’t as scary as it seems. When you realize that in your sophomore or junior year, you’ll wish that you did that earlier because you’ll [have had] more time to try new things. So try to explore new things that you may not think you like as early as possible because you might be surprised with what you find.”
Charley Goldstein ’26: “I think the best part about Branson is the teachers. I would tell my freshman self to get to know the teachers really well because they’ll shape your experience and form the most formative memories in your brain. Start early because when you’re a senior you’ll wish you had more time with them.”
Mira Sridharan ’26: “Don’t get too stressed out about getting good grades or writing the perfect essay. Sometimes it’s better to just turn the thing in and not worry about it than work until midnight or spend so much time stressing over stuff. Your grades aren’t going to drop that much, and life’s going to be easier.”
Luke O’Connell ’26: “Join clubs, different affinity groups, sports, and just try and meet as many new people as you can. Even if the clubs or sports have upperclassmen who seem scary, they’re usually not. I wish I’d gotten involved with things like football earlier. There are really great experiences available. You just have to put yourself out there.”
Elizabeth Miller ’26: “Say yes to as many opportunities and go to as many games and events as you can because you feel the community most when you buy in.”
Sadie Saavadra ’26: “Don’t take everything so seriously and just realize you’re still a kid. There are times when you have to focus on school but also times where you should just enjoy life and not rush into being an adult. There’s plenty of time for that later. Step back and think about all you’ve accomplished and be proud of yourself for where you are.”
Carl Smith ’26: “You’ll be a senior before you know it, so live each day so you can look back and be proud of what you’ve done. The time you have at Branson is time you’ll never have again. Everyone around you is going through a period of self-exploration.”
