With graduation and prom just peaking over the horizon there's been a noticeable influx of posts on social media written to high school seniors by college students. Most tell them to enjoy these last few weeks of high school because they'll be "the best of their lives."
I disagree, and I'm here to say this to high school seniors...college is much better than high school, and here's why:
You learn so much about who you are away from the identity you've built in your family, friends, and hometown. For maybe the first time in your life, you're on your own. That kind of introspection is probably why some people yearn for the ease of high school. But learning who you are and what you want to be is worth the discomfort and the struggle for the feeling you get when you finally figure it out.
Once you find your major, there's nothing quite like getting to do what you love all day every day. The workload goes up tremendously, but when you love what you do work doesn't feel like work. All of high school is spent wishing for the day you can stop taking your least favorite subject, and college is the time where it becomes a reality.
College lets people who may be more introverted or shy come out of their shells and find like-minded people. It lets extroverts have an entirely new scene to make friends in and plenty of opportunities to grow your circle. Everyone gets to indulge in things that may have been weird in high school. There are clubs for anime, ukulele playing, astrology, and pretty much every interest or hobby in between.
As much as the freedom of college gets over-hyped, there is a level of fun to being in control of your days.
The first night that I ate a pint of ice cream and a latte for dinner was one of the most freeing days of my life. I rarely go to sleep before two in the morning, something that was verboten in my house, and getting to decide even the smallest thing, like the type of laundry detergent I use, is a sign of freedom.
College is the place where you start to become an adult, but you still have room to mess up within reason.
You get the choice to skip class and face the consequences later, you have the opportunity to take chances, have fun, or you can sleep all day.
I know how hard it can be to see "high school is the best" posts when high school has been hard for you. Don't believe the hype. College is a hard adjustment, but you have to look at it in the right light and if you don't feel like you're in the right place, find the place that fits. Don't get stuck in the past; enjoy the next few weeks, but be ready for the future.
