First impressions: we all get them and we all make them. And what better time to make one than the time you meet new people? Unfortunately, that’s the only time there is. Every single person at school, including students, teachers and administrators, has one shot at determining the way others first see him or her. And for that exact reason, it is important not to let that one shot go to waste, especially if you’re a freshman or sophomore who’s still meeting lots of new people. For your convenience, we have come up with a brief list of five things not to do on the first day of the new school year.

1. Don’t be late. Unless you want to be viewed as a slacker, being late on purpose is a bad idea. Teachers are often relatively forgiving of underclassmen who walk in late because they couldn’t find the room, but if you walk in 10 minutes late chatting with your friends or with your phone out, that’s a whole different story. If you do end up being a bit late, walk in quietly and don’t make it a big deal.

2. Don’t isolate yourself. While for some people socializing during free time is a habit, some may find it harder to do. If you are the second type, it’s no big deal. Try setting yourself a goal to find just one or two people with whom you have something in common, then talk about it. The point is not to purposely set yourself aside from other people. First of all, this is not especially socially productive and second, many times people make friends on the first day, and you don’t want to miss that opportunity.

3. Don’t give yourself a false reputation. Act the way you would act normally; just because you’re meeting new people doesn’t mean that you should change yourself. If people like the way you are, they’ll be friends with you. If they don’t, they won’t. This falls in place with the topic of impressions; the impression you make has to be consistent with the way you’ll act the rest of the year. That said, if something doesn’t go the way you intended, just try not to call attention to it, and fewer people will notice. This way, your history is safe and sound.

4. Don’t make lunch too difficult. On the first day of school, lunch can be quite the hectic time. There’s people running around, talking with friends and getting food. On the first day of school, you see all of your teachers and the schedule isn’t consistent with the rest of the year. This results in a slightly shortened lunch time. As a result of this first-day mayhem, many students find it difficult to both get through the line in time and sit at a table with their friends. Therefore, you may want to consider bringing your own food from home instead of buying, at least for the first day.

5. Don’t use your locker. While the Student Handbook doesn’t include this as a rule, you will almost never find a student that uses his or her locker as a place to keep a backpack. In fact, there really is no need to use a locker at all, unless that’s where you store your sports equipment. Just carry everything on your back! It’s quite the conventional solution. Just so your bag doesn’t get overweight, it’s a good idea to separate blue day material and white day material into different binders. There is no need to carry material for eight classes when you could carry material for four!