It can be scary for students when they have to transition from middle school to high school. Not only is there a dramatic incline in population, but there is also an influx in homework. A once 1-hour homework load transforms into 3 to 5 hours.

Scenes from movies of freshmen getting swirlies and shoved into lockers may flash through their mind or they may imagine scenes from High School Musical. Both of these are very different from what high school is truly like.

Here’s what two freshmen had to say about their first semester of high school:

Is high school what you expected it to be?

Aaron: “I thought it was going to be a lot more scary than it actually was.”

DeWayne: “I thought the work was going to be a lot more difficult”

What is your favorite thing about high school?

Aaron: “I like the extracurricular activities and going to the sports games.”

Dewayne: “Definitely the people I got to meet here.”

What is your least favorite thing about high school?

Aaron: “How much homework I get.”

DeWayne: “Doing homework for all my classes.”