How to Start a New Life in a New School

Arrive early. On your first day at your new school, try to arrive early so that you can "blend in". Arriving late will give you that excluded feel, and won't make a good impression on your new teachers!

• Arriving early will give you the chance to socialize with people already at school. This can help to make you look as if you're already "in the know".

Introduce yourself. Although it may seem awkward, this is the way to get things rolling. Start to talk about the smallest of things and especially about the other person. By doing this, you'll be right on track in a week or two (maybe less than a week).

• Be friendly. Introduce yourself to teachers and classmates. You don't need to be overbearing, but smiling and saying hi can help others realize that your quietness is shyness, not snootiness.

Strive to be outgoing. The key to this is you starting the conversation and showing your attitude towards other kids. Let's face it, no one's going to come straight up to you and want to be best friends. It's you that has to go up, say your name, ask questions, get to know people, and maybe even share things about yourself. It may seem scary, but it's definitely worth a shot.

Connect. Find people you have things in common with. Although you can't necessarily be picky on the first day, be on the lookout for long-term friends, not just people who are looking to be nice to you to better their reputation.

Be yourself. Everyone advises this in hundreds of situations, it's true anyway. You don't need to change how you act or look, you don't need to dye your hair or start wearing tons of makeup just to fit in. It might take a little while, but you'll find a group of friends who want to hang out with you, not someone you've created to try to be more "cool." Also remember that you'll get a new teacher, or set of teachers, who don't know your past mistakes, and only know the new you.

Join a club/sports team. Most schools have a list of extracurricular activities you can choose from. In almost all schools, being on a sports team or the star in the musical is considered "cool".

• If you're in high school, these activities look great on a college application.

Be a good student. Try to bump up your smarts a little. It would be awesome if you were in the social scene, known, and outgoing, as well as loved by your teachers. However, for this to come, work your hardest on your studies while still maintaining that social balance.

• Study often to try to get good grades. Remember that the reason why you're at school is to learn. Sometimes, when you are eager to fit in, you will pretend to act uneducated just for attention, even if it's not conscious. This will attract attention, but only because people will think you're stupid, which won't make them want to be friends with you.