Your grades matter, and your transcript will reflect your performance from 9th grade through 12th grade.  Choose challenging, intriguing classes that will stand out on a resume.  Above all else, you need to be sure you work hard and make good grades.

Take on a new challenge - something that might lead to a new hobby or even a new passion.  Your freshman year is a great time to branch out and do something outside your comfort zone.

Do you really want to set yourself apart?  Learn to love reading.  It's simple, it's incredibly rewarding, and it will enhance your test scores and make you a more interesting person.  As much as you probably don't want to hear it, reading for 20 minutes or more each day is the simplest and most effective way to enhance every aspect of your academic life.

If you haven't done so already, you'll need to make a plan with your family to pay for school.  Financial planners are great resources here.

There are many great ways to serve your community, and this is a great time to start.  If you join with a group you like, you can begin leading service projects by your junior and senior year.

Worst case, you don't like it, and now you know.  Best case, you're involved with a group where you can make new friends, create new stories, equip yourself to overcome challenges down the road, and grow into a leader within the group later on.

You're going to have a lot going on over the next 3-4 years, so you need to start taking notes - that may mean videos or pictures, but make sure you capture these moments that you will want to recount later.