With the end of high school came a big sigh of relief and excitement to start the next chapter of our lives. Most seniors are dying to walk across the stage, receive the diploma they've worked hard for and begin their new lives in the "real world." For those of us who are half-way through our first year of college, we know that feeling very well. The last couple of months have been full of new and thrilling experiences that we thought could not come quick enough last spring.
Although we're super glad that we'll never ever have to take the SAT again or have to deal with the countless other burdens of high school, it's hard to deny we kind of miss it. Even you don't want to admit, I know you do. Here are 12 reason why it's a time we'll never forget.
1. Your morning ritual.
Whether it included having your mom wake you up or your favorite breakfast, your mornings were crucial to having a successful day. College mornings can be unpredictable, hectic and vary from day-to-day so it's hard not to miss the routine that got you out of the house and ready for first period.
2. Living in the moment.
This mostly applies to the first two years before we were expected to know what we wanted to do with our lives and how we were going to make it happen. The future was not something we really had to think about and now it's always on our minds.
3. You always knew where you were going to have lunch and who with.
In college, everyone has a different schedule so it's difficult to heavy steady lunch group they way you do in high school. Sometimes, you're swamped with work or don't have any time and have to eat in a rush. Other times, you find yourself eating alone. In high school, your lunch spot was part of your identity and the people who sat there helped you prepare for the second half of the day.
4. Your Squad.
Friends come and go (and some stay too!) but you'll never forgot the people who made those four years amazing. The friends who made you laugh, were there for you when you had to cry and made even the most boring classes exciting and fun.
5. It wasn't pressured upon you to know what's going on in the world.
Okay- this one's a little tricky. By senior year, we definitely had a deeper understanding of what was happening around us and we developed a desire to voice our opinions and get involved. The older we've gotten, the more we'll be expected to think about and deal with serious issues. It's totally important, but hey- it's also okay to miss being 14 and clueless every once and while.
6. There weren't any real consequences.
The truth is, we'll never have as many second chances as we did in high school. The support system we had from friends and family along with teachers who actually helped us through our mistakes allowed us to grow and do better next time.
7. Taking pictures with your friends. Lets be honest that was all we did.
At one point, I was convinced the only reason anyone even went to school social events such as basketball games and the Homecoming dance was so they could post it on Instagram.
8. Driving. Even if you have a car on campus, it's not the same...
It was our first taste of freedom and it was one of the biggest highlights of the last two years of high school. Being able to say goodbye to your school bus days and ride around with your friends was exciting and something we'll always look back at with joy.
9. Weekends with your besties.
Sometimes, you had everyone over for a movie night. Other times, you went out to your favorite hangout spot downtown. Regardless, you and your friends always knew how to spend Friday and Saturday night.
10. Extracurricular clubs and sports teams. They were your family.
They were the people you spent most of your time with outside of the classroom. You were brought together by shared passions and common goals. By the time you graduated the people who were on your team or in your cast were some of the most special souls you met during your high school tenure.
11. The class unity.
You were proud to be a part of your class. At one point or another, you probably had your graduation year as a part of one your social media bios. From spirit week to Prom, the people in your class played a central role in your high school experience. Even if you didn't know everyone you all still came together to have a good time and make sure everyone knew your class was the best.
12. In all simplicity, it was just fun being a "kid."
From this point on we're only going to get older and while college will continue to bring amazing opportunities and experiences, it's hard not to reminisce on the simplicity of high school. While we are clearly still young, being high schoolers allowed us to to get way with a lot things that would now be deemed as childish.
