1. Grades aren't everything
Your future employers are not going to ask you for your SAT score. Work hard, soak in all the knowledge you can, and know that your intelligence is so much more complex than a number.
2. Be friends with people you actually like
I was friends with so many people I didn't even think were decent humans because of the simple fact that I was surrounded by them five days a week. You are not obligated to be friends with everyone; chances are you won't even see 98% of the people you graduate with after high school. Do yourself a solid and be friends with good people.
3. It's okay not to know where your future is headed
High school will convince you that you must have a definitive post-college plan in place if you want to be successful. Don't listen to them. The future is unpredictable and you never knew what opportunities will arise for you. Follow your passions wherever and whenever they choose to lead you.
4. Mental health has to come first
You will not be able to succeed at anything if you put your health and well-being on the back-burner. Never be ashamed to ask for help and take time to care for yourself. If you aren't at your best, your work won't be either.
5. Your popularity doesn't measure your worth
No one gives a shit how cool you were in high school.
6. Don't suppress your individuality
Stop! Trying! To! Fit! In! It's hard and I know how easy it is to change and hide everything about yourself because you're worried what people think. Be yourself and embrace every single weird, quirky thing that makes you YOU and screw the rest.
7. Learn how to think critically
High school teaches you the who, what, where, and when of things. College teaches you the why and how. Learn how to think deeply and go beyond what you see on the surface -- not just in school, but in life.
8. You won't be in high school forever
For better or for worse, high school is only four years. They won't be the "biggest and best" four years of your life, so don't get stuck thinking that's what they're supposed to be. Contrary to all the shows and movies, high school is just another phase in your life.
9. The world is a lot bigger than you think it is
Sometimes you forget what exists outside your world when you see the same faces every day for four years. Don't trap yourself in a bubble. Immerse yourself in as many diverse worlds as you can -- you'll be a much more empathetic person for it.
10. Be accountable
Your success is your responsibility. Your high school teachers will do things like email your parents when you fail a test or give you a detention for skipping class. College professors don't give a shit if you come to class -- it's your grade that will suffer. Quit making excuses and take responsibility for yourself.
11. Gossip takes up way too much time
Who cares who asked out who, or who did what in gym class, or who said what about who? Stop focusing on the shallow, petty drama and small talk. Have some deep intellectual conversations with people, because those are the ones you'll remember.
12. Don't sweat the small stuff
One bad grade won't kill you. Your water bottle leaking in your bag won't be the worst thing to ever happen to you. Sleeping through your alarm is going to happen. It will all be okay. You'll survive.
13. Compassion is sexy
The world doesn't revolve around you. Be selfless, be humble, and be kind. It's not cute to be ignorant.
14. Stop worrying about relationships
Focus on finding yourself and loving yourself. Don't live under the delusion that a relationship is the only way for you to be happy and successful.
15. Appreciate your teachers
Even the ones you aren't a big fan of. Recognize that they are only human and have the difficult job of teaching dozens of unique kids with different needs the same material through a strict course structure that they can't always control. At the end of the day, your teachers -- the good and the bad -- make up the type of learner and person you become. Take away everything you can from each of them.
16. Appreciate your parents
If not your parents, appreciate the people around you who push you through school and get mad when they don't see you working to your fullest potential. It's a privilege to have people who care.
17. Say yes to new things
Don't stay comfortable. Your comfort zone will trap you.
18. Move on
Your high school years will not define the rest of your life. The stuff you're worrying about now isn't going to matter a year from now so just let it go. Forgive people, stop agonizing over past mistakes, and move on with your life.
19. Help others
Community service isn't just something that looks good on a college application. It's something that everyone should be doing all the time in any way possible. Choose kindness every day and never underestimate your power to change lives.
20. Time doesn't stop for anyone
High school seems like the longest four years of your life, but one day you will blink and it will all be over. Life moves fast, so live in every moment and seize each day.
