A prep school may be defined as, "A school to prepare teens for college in a slightly college-like environment, usually boarding schools located in New England or on the west coast." Whenever I used to think about prep schools, I would think about Gossip Girl and Constance Billard. That was until I actually attended a prep school, and soon found out it was not as glamorous as Gossip Girl portrayed. Here are 14 signs you attended a prep school:

1. There was a strict dress code

There was not a uniform at my school, but we had to be in "professional dress" a.k.a. look like a 45-year-old business person every day at school. Luckily, girls got away with being less professional. However, the boys would be cited very quickly when teachers noticed they were not wearing a tie.

2. And dress down days were the best

Literally felt like a holiday just being able to wear jeans to school. Sometimes you had to even pay to be able to dress down.

3. People actually commuted to your school

I lived 11 minutes from my school, but some of my friends lived 45 minutes to 1 hour away. That commute must have sucked.

4. Small Classes

If you had a class with anywhere between 15-20 students, that was considered "big." This made it very difficult to not participate in class.

5. Semi-famous people spoke at your school

The keyword is semi. At my school, Casey Neistat, Dan Harris, and many more somewhat-recognizable people spoke, which was pretty cool.

6. There were weird traditions

And you often questioned "why" you had to participate in them. Like at my school we had dodgeball tournaments, house competitions (yes, we literally had houses like Hogwarts), and many more weird traditions.

7. The buildings definitely had some Hogwarts vibes

But unfortunately, nobody was a Wizard, which was very disappointing.

8. Your school year was definitely shorter than public schools

Unlike public schools, we were not required by law to be in school for 180 days, which was a perk.

9. There was a "headmaster" not a principal

Just to be extra (fancy) AF.

10. And the cafeteria was called a "dining hall"

Nobody brought lunch because the dining hall provided breakfast, lunch, and dinner, just like a college.

11. You had at least one "Harkness table" class

A.K.A. a fancy way of saying roundtable. This is a teaching style where everyone sits around the table and group discussion is the focus of the class.

12. And your school spent way too much money on these tables

Who knew a literal table could be so expensive?

13. Your school had an endowment

Yes, people actually donate money to a high school. Who knew.

14. And they constantly were asking you (subtly or not so subtly) to donate

At least they had no shame when it came to asking for money, they just did it.