Although high school is supposedly the best four years of your life, there were definitely a few roadblocks along the way that made things very challenging. However, looking back on my high school experience, there were a few things I wish I had known at the time that would have made those four years a lot more easier in the moment and for my transition into college.

Here are a few tips I've gathered that every high schooler should know before graduation:

1. No one is 100% confident in what they want for the future

If someone says they want to major in Journalism their freshman year of high school, don't immediately assume they're definitely going to stay with this goal. High school is four years long, and people are bound to change their desires or passions along the way because you have so much time until you actually have to declare your major. And often times, people switch around their major once they're in college.

2. Take the college application process very seriously

Set as much time aside as possible to focus on your applications, because trust me, it'll help you so much. Get a head start and start filling out some of the short essays in the summer, so that way you won't be drowning in apps trying to figure out what to write just days before they're due.

This is all about your future and letting colleges know who you are in the best and most creative way possible, so you don't want them to think that you didn't put any effort into the apps and that you actually want to go to their school.

3. It's just one test, it won't hurt you in the future

The amount of times I've had mental breakdowns over a single test in a class is uncountable. But at the end of the day, one test grade won't largely affect your future plans after graduation. A single test in one out of the many classes you're taking won't break you or your GPA, but it will definitely motivate you to try harder for the next one.

4. Asking for help from teachers isn't a bad thing

There were many times where I felt afraid of reaching out to one of my teachers for help with something because I didn't want to appear as weak or incapable of something. But actually, they don't see this as a sign of weakness, because it's their job to help you and answer any questions you have in order to help you improve in the class.

Plus, gaining their own insight will actually help you in the future for tests or exams, since meeting with them will let you in on some of their tips and tricks on what they want you to focus on the most within the materials.

5. Being nice to everyone won't make them all your friends

Coming from a small middle school, I thought everyone in high school would all be friendly and nice to everyone else. But there's bound to be cliques and drama because it's impossible for everyone to get along with each other.

No matter how nice you are to people or how many times you compliment their outfit, there will still be some peers that secretly won't reciprocate the same nice attitude that you have. It still doesn't hurt to be nice to everyone, though.

6. No matter how hard you try, you'll always end up in some drama

Avoiding drama is pointless because there's always going to be some conflict going on that eventually will get spread throughout most, if not, all of the school. Whether if you're directly involved in it or not, it will continue to exist, but at the same time, it won't last forever or be the end of the world.

7. Take advantage of the time you have with your friends

Before you know it, you and your friends are going to be walking down to receive your diplomas and ready to embark on your different college journeys. I never expected high school to fly by as fast as it did, and had I known, I would have wanted to do more things with my friends and spend as much time as possible with them before separating for college.

It's definitely good to have some time dedicated to yourself, but don't waste it doing nothing and not reaching out to anyone. Otherwise, you'll miss out on making so many incredible memories that you'll want to hold onto and bring to college with you when you're feeling homesick and need one of your high school friends by your side again.