Most of us remember high school as the SATs, trying desperately to find a date to the prom, and (finally) graduating next to all your best friends. Although we spent our time there wishing we were out, once it's over some of us are left thinking about what we could've done. So, I asked some college students: what were some of the biggest things you wish you would have done in high school?
1. Try out or stay on a sports team.
"Some sports! Actually would've liked to be part of a team or have been more active in clubs"
-Eunice Woo, freshman Public Health Biology major
"Stayed in a sport"
-Peter Erikson, sophomore Video Game Design major
2. Talked to different people outside of normal friend groups
"I wish I talked to more people from my grade. We're all really friendly with each other now, but in high school, we were super cliquey even if we weren't trying to be"
-Jacqui Napier, sophomore Early Childhood Education major
"I went to a small private school. I wish I'd been kinder to the people everyone else ignored, the people who sat by themselves at lunch. I wish I'd tried better to reach out to them"
-Netanya B, sophomore English Literature major
3. Strayed from trouble
"I wish I had stayed out of trouble. I had some really close calls that could have ruined my life"
-Anonymous, senior Nutrition major
4. Been more confident about our self-image
"I wish I hadn't worried so much about how much I weighed. I wish I hadn't restricted myself from certain foods and wish I hadn't convinced myself that I was worthless because I was 'overweight' according to society. It kept me from being involved with events in school and being social because I was embarrassed of how I looked"
-Emma P, sophomore English major
5. Been more confident in general
"Been more outspoken and less shy"
-Ashlyn Bushey, sophomore Music Education major
6. Jumped into clubs earlier
"Gotten involved in theater earlier. I always regret jumping in in my junior year"
-Erin Mecchi, sophomore Early Grades Education major
7. Gone to more high school events
"I wish I would've done all the stereotypical high school things. Dances, football games, pep rallies, etc."
-Alex Nalevanko, freshman Marketing major
8. Tried out for new opportunities, no matter how much they scare us
"I wish that I was in the musical/plays in high school. I was so shy… I froze and had no voice when I tried out"
-Anonymous, former Communications major
9. Stepped outside the library more often
"Do more fun things! I was always studying so I almost never did anything social or fun!"
-Hally Everett, sophomore Nursing major
10. Spent more time dating ourselves instead of other people
"Stayed single"
-Abigail Hadfield, sophomore Creative Writing major
11. Gotten to know more of their teachers as well as students
"I wish I had gotten to know my teachers more personally, and I wish I cared less about social status so I could have made friends with more kinds of students"
-JV Saddic, junior Computer Science major
In the end, you can't go back to high school. For all current students, whether you're in high school or college, try to experience what you can while you're there. Go out for clubs that you might not like, reach out to people you're scared to talk to, and embrace yourself for who you are in the moment, because before you know it, this stage of your life will already be done.
