Being surrounded by over 500 other girls all day with no boys may sound like the worst possible scenario to a teenage girl. Although I did spend most of my high school days counting down the days until graduation–I did learn a lot from my all–girls Catholic education.
1. Appearance isn't everything.
Going to school with the same sex truly taught me not to care as much about my appearance. No one in my school had a full face of make-up on every day because we were there to learn, not to impress boys. Of course this doesn't mean that every girl who puts on makeup is trying to impress the cute guy in her math class, but without the boys, it took the pressure off to try and look good every day. Over time, I learned to appreciate my natural beauty and I still feel confident going out without any makeup on.
2. How to get ready in under 10 minutes.
This is truly a skill that takes years to acquire. The morning routine for a typical private school girl consists of waking up, throwing on the uniform, brushing teeth, throwing hair up in a messy bun and running outside to try and catch the bus. All under 10 minutes.
3. I'm not "just a number."
4. It's easy to lose faith.
Whether you're religious or not, we all have faith in something. Times get tough and it's easy to doubt those beliefs. Being in a school where teachers and staff were fully supportive of all their students made it a comfortable environment to seek help from peers and teachers when doubt overtook faith.
5. You can be "Bitter or Better" about any situation.
I was always taught to choose a "bitter or better" attitude. You can choose to be bitter about a situation and let it get you down, or you can choose to be better about a situation and rise above it and get through it. Always choose to be better.
6. Feminism.
Obviously. My all-girls education reinforced that women are completely equal to men. It wasn't particularly spoken about all the time as others would imagine, but it was discussed enough that it became a passion of mine and many others in my school.
7. Time Management
Whether or not you went to an all-girls school, anyone who went to a private school understands the crazy amount of homework that teachers gave out on a daily basis. Five+ hours of homework per night plus trying to handle a part-time job is bound to cause some complications. Even though it was completely stressful at the time, all the work taught me how to manage my time wisely and college so far has been a breeze.
8. Sisterhood is important.
The girls I essentially grew up with taught me lifelong lessons about being true to who I am and forever being accepting. These weren't just classmates - they are lifelong sisters who I keep in touch with and plan to stay close with for the rest of my life. I am eternally grateful for their friendship and love.
Going to school with only girls was a blessing in disguise. It's hard to appreciate while you're there but once you've graduated and moved on, you realize that your sisters and your school will always hold a special place in your heart.
