Coming to high school is a new experience for every student; the teachers are new, the environment is new and the workload is different. Most of the students at Middle College High School already know their teachers and are used to the workload, and it is all old for us, but for the freshmen, this is all new.

According to a survey of 66 freshmen out of a class of 93, the main reason the freshmen class came to Middle College was for the opportunity of graduating with an Associate of Arts degree and because their parents forced them to. Even though most of them did not choose to come here by choice, only three students said they didn’t like it. The main reason they like Middle College is because of the small school size and our block schedule. Taking college classes is the biggest change they have encountered here at Middle College, but although it is their biggest challenge, the majority of the freshmen are doing well in their classes. According to the survey, three out of four students of the class of 2022 are first generation students. This causes a lot of stress from family members. Their families expect a lot from them. They want them to have better grades and be better students than what they were in middle school.

Out of everyone who took the survey, only three said they did not like Middle College. The biggest complaints the freshmen had about Middle College was that because it wasn’t a gated campus, they felt it wasn’t safe enough. Another thing they wished Middle College had was more school events that mirrored other schools and to be more inclusive towards the freshmen.

A freshman girl who asked to be anonymous says, “I don’t like Middle College because there’s too much homework, there’s a lot of people passing by so it’s not really safe, and the construction is annoying.” On the other hand she likes the student store, “Its too expensive, but we can get things.” She did not want to come here; she wanted to go to Santa Ana High School because she wanted less responsibility. She says she has encountered problems with people in other grade levels who look down on her, so she plans on proving them wrong by succeeding here at Middle College.

Another girl who also chose to be anonymous has neutral feelings about MCHS, saying “sometimes it’s too much homework, but drama is fun. Drama is like a fun period; it’s not stressful, except when I have to perform.” She too didn’t want to come to Middle College. She wanted to go to Segerstrom because it is her dream school. “I wanted to come here to see what is was like and just leave,”she said

Freshman Ezekiel Walker, who previously went to MacArthur Intermediate School, believes that Middle College provides a higher sense of safety regarding our social environment as opposed to those of other high schools. Walker says, “I see students treat each other like they are the closest of friends. It’s nice to see a sense of unity.”