Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Making a good impression
• Part 2 of 3: Make lots of friends
• Part 3 of 3: Being friendly, confident, and likeable
• Tips
• Warnings

You may have already read how to be cool, but you may be wondering: How do I apply that in school? School seems like a place where you are under a lot of pressure, but how you think about it is even more important. If you take care of your appearance, are friendly and open-minded, develop your interests, and remain your own amazing self, it's easier than you thought possible.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Making a good impression

1. Make sure you are clean. One of the easiest things you can do to boost your status is to make sure you are clean and smell good. Children at school judge a book by its cover. So if you stink, you won't really like it. Shower regularly, brush and floss your teeth, and use deodorant. You will look more attractive whether you are a boy or a girl.
2. It is also wise to wash your face regularly. Acne thrives through puberty and adolescence. Washing your face regularly can prevent acne.
   • If you're worried about sweating because it's hot outside, or because you're having gym class, bring a deodorant to school.
3. Do your hair. Besides not being clean, you won't make many friends if you just seem to get out of bed, no matter how old you are. Take a few minutes every morning to do your hair. Even a little bit of gel or a few rounds with your flat iron or hair dryer is often enough.
   • If you are not happy with the way your hair is, get it cut. No idea how to get it cut? Chances are that your hairdresser can tell you what would and would not suit you. You can also choose highlights, a different color, etc.
4. Pay attention to your clothes. Every school is different, and there isn't one particular look that is guaranteed to make you look cool. In some schools the rebellious types are “cool”, in other schools the more sporty people. All you can do about it is make sure you pay attention to your clothes. Make sure you leave the door satisfied every morning. Are your clothes clean? Do they match? Do you feel good about it? That's what it's all about.
   • If you feel like you look good, and you walk around like you look good, then others will take over. Self-confidence is an incredibly big and important part of character. You don't even have to be super smart, smart, or funny; you just have to be confident. Who knows, you might be fooling the rest.
5. Let your personality shine through your clothes. When it comes to your clothes and accessories, don't hesitate to have your own style. Discover which clothes you like to wear, which brands you like, which accessories, etc. Create your own style. Wear those clothes to school, be unique. Who knows? Maybe you are setting a trend.
   • Being cool is also about being a leader and doing your own thing - not being a follower. Don't worry about the people who judge you for your clothes, or people who try too hard to fit in (often these are the same people). Your unique style will attract people who also have their own style.

Part 2 of 3: Make lots of friends

1. Join a few clubs. Being cool isn't just about being popular, it's about being known turn into. And what's the easiest way to make sure your face and name are remembered? By joining clubs at school, of course. Try to participate in groups, but try not to overlap them too much. That way you will get to know as many people as possible and have a wide variety of interests.
   • Try to participate in one of every kind of activity: a sporty, an academic, and a creative one. Join a football club, join the school newspaper, and sing in the choir. It will also look good on your resume.
2. Observe. Try to map out who is where on the “social ladder”. It's not that important (being cool is about being liked, and is very different from being popular), but it will help you determine how to identify with certain people. How are the cool kids? Are they sports enthusiasts, bright minds, or rebels? What about the crowd in the middle? Do they follow the cool kids, or do they do just about what they want? And the bottom layer, what about them? Which groups want to befriend others? It is wise to befriend people on it each step of the ladder - you never know where you will end up.
   • If you do want to get popular, it's a good idea to befriend one of the nicer, more popular people; they can arrange for you to enter “the group”. Just make sure you don't abuse others during your climb. Sometimes certain friends don't click. Those you are looking at now will not want you back when you need a friend.
3. Be kind to everyone. Again, being cool doesn't necessarily mean you're popular. There are plenty of "popular" kids who are mean, and that nobody really likes. You won't achieve anything if you try to become one of them. Rather, try to get you popular and cool because people genuinely like you. To achieve that you have to be kind and nice to everyone. Why wouldn't you do that?
   • You probably know how to look friendly. Just keep in mind that you are also nice to the people who are not cool. Help them if you feel they need it. Greet them in the hallway if you know them. You never know, they might be the cool kids in a few months.
4. Don't try too hard. Most adults will tell you that at some point you will realize that being cool doesn't really matter, and if they had known before that being cool is all about not trying your best for it, that they wouldn't have worried about it either. It's easier said than done, but just try to relax a bit. If you try too hard, people will turn it off. People will think that you are not confident and that you are not really satisfied with yourself. And if you don't like yourself already, why would they?
   • For example: suppose someone you don't really know very well asks you out on a date. You say no. Then he / she sends you love letters. You still say no. Then flowers. And before you know it, he / she will be at your door in the evening. They really, really do their best. Does it work? No. In fact, it achieves the opposite. You would rather they had a little dignity, and you really just want them to leave.
5. Rate your opinion higher than that of others. Try not to value what others think of you. Why? Because not everyone will like you. No one is liked by everyone. We all have flaws, and we all have different personalities. If you are sure that someone is condemning you, then you can say something about it. But then pretend you don't care because it doesn't. Try to learn to think like this, and your self-confidence will be boosted by self-acceptance. People at school are going to wonder how you became so confident!
   • Now your style comes into play. The skaters have their own style, the heat dogs have their own style, the nerds have their style, etc. We are all different, and no one is necessarily better than another. If people judge you on something, it is because they are narrow-minded. For now they won't be going anywhere, so don't make friends with them. That is of no use to you.
6. Avoid becoming a bully or a victim of bullying. Don't be mean to others in school to make yourself look cooler. Most people hate bullies but are too scared to say it to their face. Over time, bullies lose their power and have nothing left. It may seem tempting now, but it really won't do you any good in the long run.
   • Don't let bullies get you down, either. That's easier said than done, but in school you can use your sense of humor and good social tactics to get out of it. If you have friends around you, no one can touch you.

Part 3 of 3: Being friendly, confident, and likeable

1. Be open minded. Remember that the advice above is going to be liked by all kinds of different people? Well, to get all kinds of different people to like you, you have to be liked by those people too. Broaden your horizons and try to see that it's not just the cool people who have their value. Everyone is valuable. You will come across as friendly, more fun, and happier. And that's the type of person most of us would love to hang out with.
   • Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Kristen Stewart, Lady Gaga - these are all pretty cool people who weren't cool at all at school (or at least they claim so). This means that if you are not open minded, you are missing out on the opportunity to befriend some pretty amazing people.
2. Respect people. Treating others with respect, even people who are not friends of yours, shows that you do not discriminate against people. On whatever basis. You will build a positive reputation. You are always nice and thoughtful, and can be friends with anyone. Because people can rely on you and assume that you will not judge them. That sure sounds cool.
   • A good way to make friends is to make people laugh. If you're making fun of someone, make sure they understand it's well-intentioned. Don't poke fun at your teachers - you can very soon get out of hand.
3. Stay positive. You know that one kid who keeps moping in the corner, with those black clothes, who always frowns, and doesn't talk to anyone? He doesn't look very happy, does he? Do you want to surround yourself with all that negativity? Probably not. If you want to be a people magnet and make them all like you, stay positive. Keep your chin up, be ready to laugh at yourself, and show how positive and cool you are. Others will happily interact with you and become more positive themselves as a result.
   • Will it really make others more positive? Probably. Research has shown that interacting with other happy people makes us happier; and that dealing with unhappy people makes us unhappy. Can you be that source of positivity for your friends? Of course you can!
4. Smile. As far as people are concerned, we're pretty simple. We know what we like and what we don't like. Something we absolutely love is someone who smiles. Not only does it show that you are happy, it not only makes you happier (your brain starts to believe that you are happier), but it also makes you more sexually attractive. Put on a smile and see how you feel. It will become a valuable habit!
   • Don't put on a fake smile. Keep it natural. Most people get it right when you fake it. If you stay positive, it shouldn't be that hard to put on a real smile.
5. Stay loyal to yourself. "Being yourself" sounds like a cliché, but that doesn't mean it's not good advice. In fact, “being yourself” is perhaps the golden mean between “not trying too hard” and “sticking to your own style”. Why does being yourself make you cooler? Being yourself means that you feel good about yourself and that you are confident. If you're trying to be someone else, you're just a copy. An imitation. And imitations certainly aren't cool.
   • Just think about it for a moment. Only you can be you, no one else can. You are unique and have talents and skills that no one else has. You have something different to offer the world.Then why would you want to be someone else's second-hand version? You are absolutely cooler than anything else that "you" can be.
6. Realize that school (and being cool) won't last forever. Recent research has found that kids who were cool in high school are less successful in the long run than their less cool peers. So if you're concerned about being cool or popular right now, understand that the kids who are cool now are probably already at their peak. From there it's downhill for those people; for you it is uphill. It may not sound like it, but that's a big win for you.
   • In short, being cool is temporary. Ultimately, as we get older, we realize that “cool” doesn't really exist. We'll move on and do our own thing. Because that's what makes us happy. If being cool isn't working for you, wait. It will get easier on its own.

Tips

• Be kind and nice to others. Greet people, especially if you make eye contact and others expect you to greet them. Be kind to your teachers too.
• Rinse your mouth. Gossiping about people will make them hate you.
• Being cool often means being funny. Tell jokes that make people laugh.
• If you want to be cool, don't change yourself. That way, you fake who you are, and people won't get to know you for who you really are. That can be a disaster.
• Follow the trends, but don't overdo it. If you follow too many trends and fads, you will come across as desperate. It shows that you do not have your own style.
• If you are a girl always wear some jewelry. A nice necklace or a simple bracelet is usually sufficient.
• Live your life! Live it the way you want to. Do you really want other people to determine how you live your life? Live, love, and think.
• Be who you really are. Don't try too hard to get noticed.
• Be confident, be yourself, and be happy with who you are.
• Be yourself! Nobody likes a copy.
• Get a cool haircut.
• Don't bully others.
• Don't always try to brag or show off a particular thing. Rather keep it to yourself.
• You don't need hundreds of friends. Rather, look for two or three good friends who will always be there for you.

Warnings

• If you already have friends, be cool with them. Never let your old friends down. They can, and will, help you later in life.
• Do not spread rumors or gossip. It may seem like a good way to get to the top, but it will make people hate you.
• Remember, being cool isn't everything. In high school, “the norm” is often a dangerous thing. It can lead to peer pressure and ruin your life with alcohol and drugs. If being cool means doing dangerous things, then don't.
• Do not hurt or bully others. People will think you are bad, and that will make you attract more bad people. Treat everyone equally. Always be nice and friendly.
• People will notice if you try too hard. You will come across as a desperate wannabe.