Start with a person with lower popularity and work your way up. Starting with people on the lower rungs helps you gain access to the group. Plus, these less popular people may be excited that you are showing them attention. Make their day. Don’t be fake. That is definitely not cool. You want to make good friends, not superficial acquaintances that you will drop. If you get into that habit, people will start to think of you that way. You don’t want to hurt your reputation.
The first impression always count. Show your true self, and don’t try to fake who you really are. Make friends with people in grades above you and grades below you. Befriend people in different cliques. Get to know the popular kids, but talk to the kids on the soccer team, the drama clique, and the kids with the rock band. Making friends and getting to know a lot of people will help you increase your coolness. It will help get your name out there more. Making friends with a lot of people can help you figure out which group you want to be part of. Becoming part of a social group, whether it’s the jocks, the musicians, the popular kids, or the brains, helps foster a sense of belonging. [1] X Trustworthy Source Michigan State University Extension Extension program of Michigan State University focused on community outreach, education, and engagement Go to source
Clubs will help you meet people. As you get involved in club activities, like theater productions and student council elections, your name will get out there so people will start recognizing who you are. This helps increase your coolness, because you’ll be that guy in the fall production or that girl who won student council secretary. Don’t join a club you will hate being part of just to be friends with someone. You want to be part of things you will enjoy. Don’t be a poser because people will be able to tell if you are faking liking something. Don’t join everything. You don’t want to spread yourself too thin or be a show off.
Are all the popular girls cheerleaders? Consider joining cheer leading. If they are all playing field hockey, play field hockey. Make sure to befriend the players once you make the team. If you are not interested in joining the team, then get involved other ways. Go to home games. Many popular cliques will go to football games on Friday nights. Join them. Get involved with booster clubs and student council pep rallies. Sports are a great way to make new friends and learn teamwork. They also help keep you in shape and look good on college applications. [2] X Research source
Keep it simple, though. Don’t make cookies. Instead, if you have a bag of chips, offer them up. After you open then, just simply ask, “Want some chips?” Don’t make a big deal about it. Keep it simple, keep it cool. [3] X Research source
Don’t drink and do drugs at parties to be cool. Drugs and drinking underage are illegal. More than that, you don’t want to be the sloppy drunk or high person who embarrasses herself. Instead, stay sober so you can act cool and not make a fool of yourself. Plus, it helps you stay out of trouble. Don’t have sex at parties to try to be cool. You should only have sex if you are ready. Having sex with someone because you think they will make you cool can only end in disaster. Instead, flirt with people, date around, and even make out. You just don’t want to end up labeled as a player or a slut. To avoid pressure at parties, try to not to draw attention to yourself when others are doing things you feel uncomfortable with. Walk to another room if you have to. Don’t give in and do things that make you feel uncomfortable to fit in with a group.
Don’t get bad grades. Most cool kids aren’t the ones who are failing their classes. Maybe they’re not the smartest or the valedictorian, but they get good grades. The cool, popular kids want to go to good colleges because they want good jobs that will make them money. Don’t sacrifice your grades to make yourself look good. Don’t get into trouble. Some cool kids understand when to break the rules and when not to. But getting into fights, doing drugs, drinking, and being intentionally rude to teachers is not the way to gain cool points. A lot of cool, popular kids are actually the teacher’s pets. This lets them get away with more in their classes because the teachers like them. [4] X Research source
Don’t fidget. When talking to people, stay cool, calm, and collected. Don’t mess with your hair, adjust your shirt, or bite your lip. Try not to flail your arms around. You want to exude coolness, not nervous energy. Take a deep breath before talking, then speak slowly and deliberately. Try not to say “um” too much. Be a bit aloof. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t speak to people, be interested when someone speaks, or smile. It just means that you shouldn’t wave excitedly when you see the coolest kid in class. Don’t run up to someone and starts rambling. Play it cool. Nod your head, smile, and say hello. Remember - less is more. [6] X Research source Don’t try too hard to be liked, to be accepted, or to be known. Don’t care so much about those things. Leave the obsessing to other people. Keep your focus on staying cool, calm, and collected. [7] X Research source
Unfortunately, this might mean downplaying certain aspects of yourself. Are you into manga, video games, or pop culture? Do you like death metal, goth culture, or veganism? If so, decide how much of your true personality you can share and not alienate your peers. Will they stop talking to you if you talk about manga all the time? Are they going to think you’re weird if you start wearing all black? If you truly want to be cool and fit in, try not to experiment too much. Part of the key for being cool in high school is to be like the majority. Try to find a balance between being yourself and not pushing your classmates away by things they don’t understand. [8] X Research source
Most people don’t have an innate confidence. Instead, they fake it. Fake your confidence until you start to believe it. [9] X Research source Have a mantra you repeat to yourself. Say to yourself, “I am awesome/beautiful/kind/smart/funny/etc. " Say it in your head, post it in your locker - whatever works for you. [10] X Research source
Post when you know people are going to be on. Evenings and Sunday afternoons are good times when high schoolers aren’t busy doing other things. Don’t post too often. Once again, the idea of less is more is important here. You don’t want to flood people’s Instagram feed or bore them. You want to intrigue them with your life. Post once or twice a week. Make sure those posts are good ones. Don’t just post pictures of your food or your cat. Post selfies sparingly. Don’t be that girl who always posts a selfie with duck face, or the guy who posts a shirtless selfie. Keep the selfies spontaneous, like when you’re at a cool place or out with friends. Follow people. Like their photos, make sure they know who you are so they can follow you back. But make sure your follower-to-follows ratio is about even. You don’t want to look like the person who follows everyone but who no one follows back. Unfollow people who refuse to follow you back. Have fun with Instagram. Post flattering pictures of yourself, pictures where you’re doing fun things, and pictures that show you have an interesting life. [11] X Research source
Don’t be a complete fashion copycat. Put your own individual twist onto the outfits. Wear accessories or shoes you want to, get shirts in the color you prefer, or wear styles you feel comfortable in. The key to dressing the right way is feeling comfortable and owning what you wear. Don’t go overboard with fashion. Dress simply. Too many fashion trends in one outfit will make you look like a mess. Instead, opt for one trendy piece with an otherwise simple outfit.
Take regular showers. You want to make sure that you keep your body clean, along with your hair and face. Brush your teeth before school every morning. Wear deodorant. Don’t wear so much cologne and perfume that people can’t stand next to you.
