We’ve all felt the rush of excitement as we walk through the doors on our first day at Vandegrift High School. You’re finally in high school, which means that logically, you know just about everything there is to know, and can do everything there is to do.

   But do you have the skills you need to succeed? Can you, the unstoppable high schooler, perform the most basic everyday tasks that are essential to not only being a productive student, but a functional and self-reliant young adult? Here are a few things to make sure you know how to do before you decide you’re on top of the world.

1. How to use the stove. By the time you enter the halls freshman year, you should at least be capable of cooking yourself a meal. Mommy and Daddy won’t be there in college to cook your Kraft Mac & Cheese for you.
2. How to write a thank you note and when it is appropriate to wrote one. Any time you receive a gift, it is generally expected that you write a thank you note. This means birthdays, Christmas, graduations and other events where people shower you with gifts. Nothing elaborate, just a short personal note of appreciation on some cute stationary addressed to the gift giver.
3. How to manage time wisely. It seems simple enough, but when you pile on your math homework, physics test, history project, basketball game and the movie you want to go see with your friends, it can get overwhelming. “If you can’t manage your time, high school will get really hard, really fast. Obviously, don’t procrastinate. You have so much to do, and you need to find time for everything,” sophomore Hannah Honaker said.
4. How to use the mail. Snail mail might appear to be a dead form of communication, but that does not make it appropriate to not know how to properly address an envelope. You’ll be mailing out Christmas cards for the rest of your life, so it’s better to learn now.
5. How to get to class on time. The school is big, the hallways are crowded and there will always be that one person who chooses to walk at a turtle pace in front of you, so have a plan to get to class because teachers won’t tolerate tardy students with lame excuses.
6. How to form a really good excuse for when you forget your homework. It will happen, and you might have to pull out all the stops to avoid getting a late grade. “Always blame technology. When that doesn’t work, the more outrageous and elaborate your story is, the less anyone will question it,” junior Haley Wightman said.
7. How to take good notes in class. Pay attention to the lectures, and make sure that your handwriting is legible and your notes aren’t covered in doodles of cats or wedding plans for when you marry the cute boy next to you.
8. How to drive. Face it, your parents are just as sick of driving you around as you are of having to hop out the back of your mom’s minivan while trying to still look “cool” in front of your friends. Take initiative. Pick up a driver’s ed handbook and teach yourself something.
9. How to fill out a job application. When it comes to tedious things your parents do for you, driving you around comes second only to being used as your own personal ATM. High school is generally the appropriate time to start earning your own income, and your application needs to look professional if you want to be hired. Use appropriate references, and list any work experience you can think of, even if it’s only babysitting.
10. How to do your laundry. Become domesticated. Learn the difference between the stain remover, detergent and fabric softener. And please never forget to separate your whites.