High school at the time seems like your whole world, because at the time it is. Getting invited to the prom is almost as important as scoring well on the SAT and being on the varsity sports team could make or break you as a person. Trust me, I remember the feeling of being on top of the world during my senior year, and I remember looking at the freshman and being awed at how young they looked and acted. Then over the course of a summer I went from top dog to the tiny little freshman again, I went from being a senior to a freshman and my life could not have changed more. There are things I know now that I wish I could have known when I was in high school, so here is a letter to my high school self.
Dear High School Me,
There are a few things you should know and the easiest way to tell you is to be blunt because the transition between high school and college is not a soft easy journey, the change is quick, harsh, and most of the time kicks the crap out of you, so sit back relax and realize that it is going to be okay.
Relationships:
The most important thing for you to understand is high school is not your life. It is not life or death if you do not have boyfriend or have a huge group of friends. Once you get out of high school, you will have to move away from your friends to college and you will make new friends so having a huge pool of friends seems like a waste of time an effort trying to keep everyone happy. Now, the boyfriend portion of your worries. Yes, having someone in your life is important and wonderful, but nine times out of ten once you graduate you guys will go to different colleges and eventually break up because long distance is hard and freshman year is harder. During your freshman year of college you will change no matter if you see it or not, so unless you are ready for your relationship to change and grow as you grow, this whole relationship is not going to work out. Yes, sometimes your high school sweat heart will be the man or woman you marry, but you have to be ready to work at it and for it while also working on yourself as a person.
Grades:
Now do not get me wrong, grades are the reason you spend so much time in high school. Grades are the main reason you are there and the main thing that will get you into college. So yes grades are important. Do not skip a test or a quiz and please complete all of your projects on time. But it is important for you to know that in high school no matter how much the teachers "prepare" you for college, you are no where close to being prepared for the hardships that are college assignments. You will fail exams, and skip class because you are so tired that moving seems like it will kill you. In high school, please relax, remember to enjoy yourself and the people around you. High school flies by quicker than you think and it is an awkward and blissful time in your life, so take it in. Learn all you can through teachers whether that be actual knowledge or life lessons.
Sports:
If you listen to nothing else please understand what I am about to tell you. High school sports will be the highlight of your high school career. In college, unless you are joining a Varsity team, you will never spend as much time and bond with as many people as quickly as you did than on your sports teams. There is a certain feeling when it comes to sports, a feeling of belonging. Yes, in college you can join intramural sports, club sports, or different organizations but it will never be the same as it was in high school, when you were less stressed and had more time to enjoy playing the game.
So to all those high schoolers out there who think their life is ending because prom is in three months and you still do not have a date, please calm down and realize that high school is only the beginning. College is coming and it will be so much better and life changing than high school.
