The first tip I would give to upcoming ninth graders is don't be scared. It's not like they would think where you walk in and the seniors want to kill you. Second, I would say get all your required electives out of the way early so that you can do the fun stuff. Third, I would tell them to get into a habit now of dedicating some portion of time to do their homework. I had been in a habit of never having any and it took a while to turn that around and I still struggle with it sometimes. Fourth, I would tell them not to worry about difficulty of classes because they"re really not that hard. Finally, I would tell them to have fun and love it while it lasts.