It is a universally known fact that high school is one of those experiences in life that you either look back fondly on or try very hard never to think about again. If you're one of the later, and your disdain is not because of the kids you went to school with than it’s most likely because of the school itself. Every school has its own way of doing things, and its own method to getting those things done.

You might not always like their methods but you only have two choices at that point: you can either conform to their way of doing things or you can consistently struggle to go against the mold and retain your own individuality. I attended a high school where those who didn’t learn to conform found it hard to get by day-to-day; and many of these kids ultimately ended up dropping out along the way. I went to Mystic Valley Regional Charter School and for the most part I’m really proud of that fact.

Because, in exchange for becoming a dutiful little robot: I got to receive the best education on the market. I survived a top-notch program that was rigorous as well as exhausting but overall completely worthwhile. Here are five signs that prove you survived Mystic Valley Regional Charter School too:

The sight of uniforms makes you physically ill:

• From kindergarten to high school your attire consisted of the same dingy shirts, skirts, stockings, and plain black or brown shoes. With the one notable exception of having changed over from a maroon and baize color to blue and white in high school, the uniform remained a consistent fixture in your life. As if it wasn’t bad enough to have to wear a uniform, you also had to wear it correctly. There were certain days of the year that you could wear shorts, and certain days of the year where you could not.
• For girls, when wearing your skirt you had to make sure that it was no shorter than the tops of your fingers when your hands rested firmly at your sides. When wearing your uniform it was always implied that you should act with decorum, because you are representing your school. When I graduated I took great joy in burning every uniform I had ever owned. I then proceed to treat myself to a massive shopping trip to make up for the 12+ years when I lacked a proper wardrobe. Seeing any kind of charter school uniform now makes me physically ill.

You silently mock the kids who think that having taken an AP class in high school means they're at the top of the educational “totem poll”:

• When I came to college I used to hear kids talking about their sophisticated AP programs from back home. They truly believed that they had braved the most advanced program education had to offer. Having taken IB programs at my high school I found their boasting highly amusing. Because of IB English I can now present with little to no fear of humiliation, and spontaneously at that. I learned more about dissecting and analyzing literature in one year than the AP program taught in its entirety.

You are an expert at standardized testing:

• From the PSATs to the MCAS to the SATs to simple scantrons, you are an expert. On the same day you learned to write your name, you were taught how to bubble in the corresponding bubbles below it. Since testing was one of the areas Charter schools set out to improve, you were a glorified guinea pig on their road to glory. They threw every qualifying state test they could find at you, and then some. But it was all worth it in the end because you can proudly say that you are not part of the percentage of students in America that does not test well.

The transition from your last year in high school to your first year of college was a breeze:

• You stressed, you panicked, but when it came time transitioning from high school to college it was a breeze. In fact, I would have to say that my first year in college was actually much easier than my last year in high school. This is a result of Charter schools education putting you a few grade levels ahead of everyone else in regular public schools. When you were in your junior year of high school you were already doing college level work. Just goes to show that MVRCS students should be able to graduate college earlier on account of having already completing some of the requirements before our first year of college.

You secretly (or in my case, openly) feel like you are much more intelligent than anyone else who went to a regular public school:

• Having put up with everything MVRCS put you through over the years you are entitled to more than a few brownie points. You dealt with uniforms that took away any sense of self you may have obtained over the years. You had tests thrown into your face every other month, and when you weren’t testing you were undoubtedly preparing for testing. You have dealt with presentation after presentation after presentation, research and then some more research on top of that. All in al,l you have gone above and beyond the call of duty, and you have earned your bragging rights. So if you don’t secretly feel like you are more educated than most of the people you know, than you should, because you probably are.