Dear 10th Grade me,

There's so much I wish people had told me about high school. Number one, first and foremost, it is not exactly like it is in "High School Musical." Now I know it was pretty stupid of me to believe that it would be in the first place, but there are just so many movies based in high school that I couldn't help but hope that it was like that in some form. Alas, life doesn't just randomly burst out into song for no apparent reason with perfectly rehearsed choreography. Oh well!

As much as our high experience wasn't exactly like they portray in the movies, it's four years of my life I wouldn't trade for the world. You see, here's the thing, although I didn't find the Troy Bolton to my Gabriella Montez in high school, or we never participated in scholastic decathlon which occurred on the same day as callback's for musical, causing an unlikely alliance between nerd and jock, my high school was safe – it's the place that where you will figure out exactly what you want to do with your life. High school took you and formed her into me.

With that being said, if you follow these 10 tips you will survive the next couple of years.

1. Enjoy the time you have left.

You may not recognize this in the moment, but your time there is short-lived and in a blink of an eye you'll just be another person who walked down that hallway and sat in that classroom. Soon you'll be coming back home for winter break and you want to visit your high school only to realize that you know maybe 15 people out of the 80 who stand on the risers that you stood on for four years. Time is a gift and we spend too much time waiting for the next thing to come and not enjoying the moment. You'll regret it later if you don't enjoy it now.

2. Sometimes friends are just passing ships in your life.

This isn't going to make sense now, as the majority of the friends you have at the moment have been your friends since middle school if not elementary school. Let me tell you this, 99.5 percent of those "friends" aren't even going to be in your life by the end of next semester and that okay. Next year you are going to form the basis of what will later be named the sensational six. (Yes, that's what we're called and we're proud of it.) These five girls will be the best things that happen to you in a long time. They are your support system, the cause of many instances where you can't breathe because you've been laughing so hard, the reason why you're phone is running out of space because of the endless amounts of photos you have to take, and most importantly they are the people who you love and trust unconditionally.

3. Time management.

This is a big one. Time management will be the most important lesson junior should teach you. Now I know neither of us like to be told what to do but believe me when I say if time management isn't used there will be many very late nights trying to write papers for APUSH. That's not going to end well. Plus, time management is just a useful skill to have in general.

4. Accept things with grace.

It's not going to be easy all the time. Being a theatre kid, you learn quickly that you're not always going to get your way. There are going to be times when you're discouraged, especially with casting. Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes in your favor, like "Little Women," and sometimes it won't like "West Side Story." However; if you accept things with grace, life has ways of making up for it. For instance, during senior year you're not going to be cast as a lead in "West Side Story," but they will ask you to basically dub the lead and sing while she vocally recovers. If you accept things gracefully, people will remember that for the future.

5. Work hard, but don't forget to have fun.

Now this is something I've learned in college. Working hard is very important, especially to keep your GPA up, get scholarships and maintain scholarships in college – but remember to enjoy yourself. Enjoy time with your friends, when you get to college remember that you're just a short train from the city take advantage of that. Now is the time to live your life!

6. Popularity doesn't matter.

Being "popular " doesn't mean anything, it just means you're friends with usually the jocks or the "right" people. What should matter is that you have friends that make you feel important. Friends that are there for you no matter what, and sometimes with no questions asked. At the end of the day, your friends are your friends.

7. Having a boyfriend or being in a relationship isn't the most important thing.

The movies make it seem that having the perfect boyfriend is the highlight of high school, but let me just say as nice as it would have been, you can have just as much fun with your friends. In this time, there's so much more to focus on.

8. Love is scary.

Okay, maybe scary isn't completely the right term but what I'm trying to say isn't easy and it's unknown. It's not something that you can control. It's taken me a few heartbreaks to realize that as much as you can't control who you like, they can't control who they don't. I wish it was as easy as it seems in films, but this world isn't that simple. It's okay to fall for a guy, it's okay to be brave and tell him how you feel, and if it works out that's great, but if it doesn't, it's okay too. It's not the end of the world.

9. As tempting as it is, don't bottle up your emotions.

I have to admit, I'm still working on this one. Emotions are scary and expressing your emotions is terrifying, especially in public. Voicing how you feel has never been a strong suit of ours. Instead of dealing with something, we tend to bottle it up and shove it deep into our subconscious. Let me tell you, it does resurface, usually not in the best ways. It's good to cry sometimes, that's why I watch a lot of romance movies. Talk to your friends about it, because they sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

And lastly...

10. Be yourself, you have nothing to prove.

I think this speaks for itself, but be proud of who you are. Looking back, yes it was a very awkward time, but that's how life is. Embrace yourself for who you are because at the end of the day, there's only one you, and you make a difference in people's lives. That's why I do theater now because it's a version of myself that has the power to make a difference in people's lives. Studying theater has made me realize things about myself that I otherwise wouldn't have known. It has made me much more comfortable in my own skin. Remember, Oscar Wilde said, "Be yourself, because everyone else is already taken."

These tips are not just to help survive high school and college, but also life. You can make it through

I hope these help! I'll see you soon.

All my love,

Montana

(P.S. I have noticed though if you yell out, "What team?" and you're around the right group of people, you will receive the correct response, "Wildcat!")