The new kid gets a reset button nobody else has. Use it on a habit, not just a haircut.

Nobody at a new school has a file on you. There is no story going round about the thing you said at twelve, no role you were handed at eleven and never escaped. That blank page does not last long, and most people spend it on their appearance, which is the easiest thing to change and the least useful.

Decide one habit you want to be known for before people decide for you. Being early, or starting conversations, or actually doing the reading. Practise it hard in the first two weeks, while nobody has you figured out yet.