High school sucks. Those who disagree with this statement most likely peaked during these “glorious” four years and are now struggling through college.
No, I don’t miss high school.
High school isn’t completely bad, though. You get the chance to spend each day with your best friends, and then get to go home at the exact same time every day and have little homework to complete before enjoying your evening. All your friends are most likely on a similar schedule, making random food dates and adventures easier to plan when night classes don’t yet exist. You have the chance to see your family every night, and your parents still take care of you; they buy your food, clothing, and anything else you may need. In college, you won’t have these people anymore. Take advantage of the perks of high school while they still last.
College isn’t always like the pictures you see on Instagram, guys and girls constantly having the time of their lives and worrying about nothing. The reality is that college is a never-ending “to-do” list, and stress replaces the space by your side previously occupied by your best friends. Money can be hard to come by, and the responsibility of choosing a major and career can sometimes be overwhelming.
But no, I still don’t miss high school.
Compared to college, high school is a prison. Your life is dictated by a bell; when to get up and go to the next class, when you're allowed to use the bathroom and when you have the chance to finally eat. In college, you can do all these things at whatever time you desire. Professors don't mind when a student leaves a lecture halfway through, especially when the class is a couple hundred in size.
College brings amazing experiences. You meet your new best friends and wonder how you survived your whole life without knowing them. You have free time during the day, the chance to take naps, and the ability to complete homework to allow your evenings to be free. Stress is a constant, but not unmanageable.
You can be whoever you want to be in college. The anonymity of knowing few people in your new world allows you to explore who you are without judgment. Trying new things is expected, and leaving your comfort zone can be rewarding. Freedom is yours, and there is nobody around to tell you what to do.
College is a mix of having the time of your life and scrambling to keep it together. One day you’re stress-free, enjoying your free time, and the next you have ten assignments due. But, you learn to love the rollercoaster that is college. Your best friends live minutes away, and times spent with them are never boring. The chance to be whoever you want is finally here; the chance to break away from who you were in high school and grow as a person has arrived.
While college is an unpredictable roller coaster, I don’t miss high school.