Dear senior,
We've all seen the countless posts. The "these are the best days of your life" posts. The "cherish every last moment" posts. You know the ones, and I do, too, because this time last year, I was reading every single one of them.
The thing is, high school wasn't the best time for me. It wasn't cruel by any means, don't get me wrong, but I wasn't part of the popular crowd; we all know that depending on who you are and who you hang out with, the high school experience can be very different for everyone. Yes, my last high school football game was one to remember, and yes, I cried at graduation. The fact of the matter is, I spent a lot of time with the people I graduated with and the memories will always be near and dear to my heart. But high school was in no way the best years of my life. So far, college is.
In college, there are no dress codes. If it's hot and you want to wear that tank top with some shorts, you're free to do so. If you want to wear those ripped up jeans with a band t-shirt on, go for it. College classrooms don't police your bodies like their predecessors do.
In college, you can go to school-sanctioned events without having to hear the censored version of a catchy song. We're all adults in college. If a song has an expletive in it, no one really cares. You'll probably hear worse in the classroom by your professors.
In college, you're free to talk about things that might be too inappropriate or embarrassing to talk about in high school. In high school, if you were like me, you got abstinence-only sex education. Colleges know how ineffective that is, and they want you to be paying for their tuition instead of paying for a child. If you never had comprehensive sex education in a safe, open environment, college has your back.
In college, you make lifelong friends. There will be different events to go to on a weekly basis, so you get to meet people outside of class who are learning the ropes of adult life just like you are. These people will typically have more common interests with you than you can imagine. These friends stick around; they're your friends because you clicked and had common interests or ideas, not because you have to see them five times a week.
In college, you'll be stressed. I know this one doesn't sound pleasant, but bare with me. High school was stressful because it meant going from 8-3 with no breaks, except lunch, then going to any extracurriculars, then spending the remaining hours eating, doing homework and sleeping. College does have a heavier workload, but you only have up to four classes per day. (If you're smart, you'll only have two; but don't sign up for an 8 a.m. Just because you can do it right now doesn't mean you'll be able to next semester.) The stress mostly just comes from procrastinating because you don't have a parent there to tell you to write that 10-page paper you've been putting off. But you know your grade depends on it, so somehow, you'll get it done.
In college, you have so many opportunities to socialize. You can go out to dinner with your friends. You can go to a party. (Even if you don't drink, that's perfectly OK. No one's going to care if you're sober. No one will even notice, I promise.) You can go to events put on by residence halls or organizations. You can do anything you want to without having to worry about an early curfew your parents set.
High school was great, and it did prepare me well for college, but if you didn't have the best experience, don't fret. College is coming, and you're going to love it. Just remember the memories of high school are still important. So by all means, go to your last high school sporting events. Enjoy your last homecoming and your last prom. Participate in everything you can as a senior. Cry at graduation and hug your friends tight. But don't worry about high school being the best days of your life; those are yet to come. Enjoy your lasts of high school, and get ready for the amazing firsts of college.
