It seems like it was just yesterday when I walked across that stage at Capital High School and received my diploma. A representation of completing four years of so much work. A symbol of earning my independence from high school itself. I don’t know about you, but I definitely saw it like that. Those years went by fast. In a blink of an eye, I stepped out of there forever. No more cliques. No more comments on how I look or how I did something wrong. No more boy drama, because that was freaking ridiculous! Or girl drama, for that matter. No more anything. College is a completely different story. You might dislike me for writing this if you’re still in high school or if you simply liked it so much, you would want to relive it all over again. But I’m not here to listen to that. I’m here to talk about why I never really liked high school and why I prefer the college experience over anything.
High school was something else. I never belonged to an elite group of people because I believe that you should always talk to everyone. That didn’t matter to me. I didn’t care if you were “popular” or well-known to everyone in the overcrowded halls. I didn’t care if you were a super smart person. I tried communicating with everyone, as much as I could. The bad news is, not everyone thinks the same way I do. Remind me, what’s the point of talking to the same people over and over again? Why not try talking to someone else with a different interest for a change? That’s one thing I will never understand and definitely one of the things I hate about cliques. You separate amongst yourselves. You feel superior than others. I’m talking about everyone in general. I know who I was in high school. I was the quiet girl who wouldn’t say much. But if you would’ve tried to get to know me a little better, you would’ve had a different outlook. I changed over the years. I don’t consider myself as reserved or shy anymore.
It’s week four into being a new college student and I am in love. I’ve never been in an environment where I feel so comfortable that I can be myself. College is the place people go to because they want to. They want to better themselves and go after their dreams. Don’t get me wrong, there may be a limited number of people who still act immature and annoying, just like they did in high school. But that’s not really the case anymore. Now I understand why we are encouraged to go to college. It’s different! You meet new people too. I thought I was going to be miserable at first because I stayed in my hometown to attend a community college. That wasn’t the original plan. I always imagined myself at a four-year university and it didn’t happen due to lack of money and scholarships. I’m transferring next year anyways. My point is: I never wanted to stay here because I thought I would be surrounded by the same people I went to school with and because my major does not exist in my city. I’m not saying that would’ve been horrible but at the same time, I wanted something new. I wanted new faces in my life. A new perspective. I definitely wanted to get a head start on my major as well. Nevertheless, I’m here and I’m happy with myself. That’s the most important thing to me. College is the place I've always belonged to.
