We've all said some things over the years that we definitely didn't mean.
Maybe at the time we said them, they were true, but as we change our abilities do as well. Although I've only been in college for just over a semester, I have quickly come to realize that my collegiate self is different that how I was in high school. So, here are five things you might have said or thought in high school that don't automatically apply to your collegiate self:
1. "I'm awful at *insert subject name here*."
Although I am certainly no math wizard, and don't pretend to be, I also don't think I'm awful at it either. Sure, in high school I definitely talked about my lack of mathematical prowess frequently. Since getting to college I have realized just because I was less than spectacular at a subject in one environment does not mean I can't succeed on a new level. By approaching the subject anew, rather than allowing my past experiences to taint it, I am thus able to give math a fresh start, even if it does lead me to realize once again that I'm pretty awful at it.
2. "I'll do that later - I work better last minute anyway."
Let's be honest, we all procrastinate sometimes. The worst, however, is when you keep pushing something off more and more until you physically don't have the time to complete the assignment. Maybe some people really do work better under pressure, but I still have not yet met that person.
I do my best work with absolutely no rush and being able to complete it in multiple settings. Since getting to college, I've worked hard to remind myself that I am not, in fact, good at procrastinating. I pulled far too many all-nighters in high school to have been any good at it.
3. "Yeah, that's a great opportunity, but I won't get it."
The amount of times I expressed this sentiment in high school were far too numerous. Whenever an awesome opportunity arose, I would try to talk myself out of applying because I thought other people were more deserving. Since getting to college, however, I've tried to shake this negative mindset. If someone is more deserving, then they will get the position. However, it absolutely cannot hurt for me to throw my hat in the ring. There's no way to get a position in the first place if you never even apply for it.
4. "My class rank isn't good enough."
In high school, class rank was super competitive for some people, and others couldn't care any less. In college, however, your high school class rank rarely matters; Seriously, its not even on my resumé. Although class rank might have helped me get into schools (among other criteria), it's just a number that carries very little weight in my daily life.
5. "That grade was so bad there's no way I'm getting into college."
Maybe I was extra dramatic, but every time I did poorly on a high school assessment I would somehow convince myself I had just destroyed my college prospects. Now that I'm in college, this just seems extremely silly to me. Although I got some grades in high school that were less than ideal, I got into the majority of the colleges I applied to. Despite those grades, I now am a college student. One grade doesn't determine an entire future.
Some of the things I thought were true in high school, or thought were the end of the world, weren't that important in the grand scheme of things. Now that I am in college looking back on high school, I am now able to discern just how funny some of the things I thought to be true in high school truly were.
