High school is definitely not the best four years of your life, but it is one of the most memorable. You enter as an innocent and curious child and leave as an adult with real goals and ambitions. Wherever you go to school, high school does change you. And no, it’s nothing like High School Musical.
I vividly remember walking through the atrium on my first day of high school being completely unsure of what awaited me. During my freshman year, I was a very quiet, timid, and self conscious person. I didn’t have many close friends and I never spoke up for myself, but throughout my four years I gained friends, lost friends, and learned to be an advocate for myself. High school is a wild ride, but you will get through it.
Sure there are somethings I regret, but I have learned many valuable lessons and the Pythagorean Theorem happens to not be one them. Here’s a list of 13 things I learned throughout my four years as a high school student.
High school actually does fly by, enjoy it-
I’ve always heard from people that high school will go by fast and it really does. It actually does feel like yesterday when I was walking through the high school on my way to class for the very first time. Despite all the drama and all nighters it does flash before your eyes. Before you know it you’re walking across the stage grabbing your diploma and saying goodbye to your friends. Capture the good moments and make it count.
Contrary to popular belief, the lunch ladies are super sweet-
After all the lunch ladies are the ones that provide you with food so why not be nice to them? Working in a school cafeteria is a hard job, but you can make it bearable by talking to the lunch ladies.
It’s okay if you failed a test (or a few)-
Yes, your schoolwork is always important, but it’s totally fine if you failed a test or even several small assignments. That’s just apart of life. I’ve definitely failed or have been close to failing tests in the past -- especially in math. As long as you know you can recover your grade then it’s fine. That failure will not follow you into college and into your career. Even if it seems like the end of the world, a grade does not define you.
Teachers can become good friends-
Yes, some teachers can be mean, but other teachers can become great friends. It’s always better to have a teacher that you can relate to and talk to than one you want to avoid. Becoming friends with a teacher doesn’t mean them giving you better grades, it just means having a teacher that will always have your back and will support your endeavors. And it’s also okay to be a teacher's pet despite what people may think.
It isn’t worth it to procrastinate-
Yes, some people can write that 10-page English paper in one night, but others cannot. It pays to get your work done sooner rather than later so you’re not stressing out last minute. If you get your work done sooner rather than later then you can have time to do other things or assignments. However, if you do procrastinate frequently just learn to balance your time wisely.
No one cares if you wear makeup or not, or dress up/down (you do you!)-
Honestly, no one cares especially during midterms/finals week. I was always one who tended to dress up more than down, but I had a friend who wore sweatpants almost everyday. Find whatever you feel most comfortable and powerful in.
It’s better to start becoming independent: pack your own lunch, lay your clothes out the night before, set your own alarm-
Before you know it, you’ll be off on your own so it’s better to start becoming independent before you go off to college. You will be doing your own laundry in college, not your mother.
Utilize any type of planner/organizer-
Planners are the best way to make sure you are on top of assignments! With any type of organization tool you can make sure the next few days or weeks work well with school, work, activities, etc. Additional organization tools include, a calendar (paper or the app) or the notes app in your phone. Personally, I don’t know how I could live if I wasn’t organized.
Don’t compare yourself to other people: Some people’s successes are not meant to be yours-
Now that I reflect, I spent most if not all of my high school career comparing myself to others: the brainiac, my friends, the pretty, outgoing popular girl. But IT ISN’T WORTH IT. You know yourself best: your ambitions, actions, brains, and personality. And no one can take you away from you.
Senior year (first 3 quarters) is actually quite hard-
I always thought junior year was the most challenging year of high school: you usually have the hardest classes, you get a job, and the workload is heavy. And yes, junior year was very challenging for me, but honestly senior year was A LOT of work. You just want to finish high school, but you have to apply to college first, teachers are still loading on the coursework, and even after you get into college you still have to try to get good grades. Don’t be fooled by the fact that college is around the corner, you still have to work hard your senior year.
Take lots of pictures-
I know some people just like to revel in the moments, but I’ve always been a huge picture taker. In school I always liked to take pictures with my friends especially during senior year. There are so many photo ops your senior year: prom, pep rally, senior banquet, spirit week, and of course graduation! Fill up those camera rolls and scrapbooks to look at later in life. You’ll miss it.
You’re never too cool to participate in Spirit Week-
As a underclassmen, I thought participating was stupid, but once I got to be a junior I would go all out. Like when’s the next time you’ll be able to dress up in a crazy tutu and tights or a costume? No one judges-- or at least I don’t. Let yourself go crazy!
Fake it until you make it-
Kill them with kindness is all I have to say.
Now as a recent high school graduate going off to college in a few months, it’s kinda weird that the “public school” chapter of my life is now at a close. I definitely left high school with a totally different friend group, but that’s okay. I may be a different girl than I was at 14 as a freshman, but I think I finally found myself.
It was good to reflect in this blogpost of my experiences during high school and I hope anyone still in high school takes the time to really read this. Please, please, please enjoy high school no matter how much it may suck.
Link to the Francesca's dress I wore under my gown- https://www.francescas.com/product/reagan-swiss-dot-floral-wrap-dress.do?sortby=ourPicksAscend&refType=&from=fn&ecList=7&ecCategory=106120
Sarah, xoxo