Growing up in a small town, I have come to realize that sooner rather than later everyone starts to know your business. That is not always a bad thing, don't get me wrong. I liked that everyone knew me, but I did not necessarily like that they knew everything about me. It was a variety of things, such as: who I was dating? Who are my best friends? Who I was “hanging out” with? What was going on in school? (And many other petty things.)
Taylor Swift says it best, “It is freshmen year, and you are going to be here for the next four years in this town.” Basically, she means you have no choice but to deal with all of the bull crap that comes your way.
When I was in high school not only was I involved in many sports, and tons of extracurricular activities, but I also had many friends. Not just friends in my class, but older friends. I started hanging out with senior students. I actually ended up going to prom with a senior guy, which caused a great amount of drama between me, him and a few of the older girls. I hung out with guys because less drama, right? Well, I was wrong. I was called many inappropriate names, got shoulder bumped in the hallways and was even threatened. I ended up pushing myself away from my closest friends to spend more time with older people — which is still one of the biggest mistakes I have ever made. Even though I had issues my freshman year, I still had great relationships with the facility and enjoyed learning from some of the best people I have ever met. I could honestly say I was comfortable with who was in my life at this point.
It was my junior year; however, when I went through this little “drought,” you could say. I was never happy. I was just simply "comfortable." I never wanted to leave my room. Hardly ever did I smile. I was so mean and ruthless to the people that I love. I was just not nearly as happy as I thought I should have been. I started to realize that I wasn’t happy because I was trying so hard to make other people happy, in turn neglecting my own happiness. I wanted to be friends with everyone, and it was during my senior year when I realized that it just cannot happen. I cannot make everyone happy nor can I make them like me. No matter what though, the people I went to high school with will forever have a special place in my heart.
Now that I am a sophomore in college, I can definitely say that I have had plenty of experience with “new comers," which was something I wasn’t used to in high school. Meeting all kinds of new, weird, outstanding, different people was almost strange to me, well at first. I didn’t really know how to handle it all, but then I met some awesome people that changed my life in such a short amount of time. My perspective on everything has changed. The best part about it is that I don’t have to worry about going out of my way to make them like me or to make them think I am perfect.
I can say now, being a second year college student, that high school wasn’t the best four years of my life. I am happy. I work hard. I have goals. I love deeply, and I cherish all. Going through so many changes in such a short amount of time can be challenging, it was for me, but I promise it’s all worth it. College has changed my views on life, my perspective on people, and had allowed me — as Tim McGraw put it, “to always stay humble and kind.”
To the high school senior that is so ready to leave, sometimes you will miss it. I have, and still do, but you have so much to look forward to. Even though you are leaving some great people behind or maybe they are leaving you, just know that it isn’t the end of the world. You will meet some of the best people in college. Coming from a college student, I wish you luck! It will be hard, but I can tell you one thing — it’s so much better than high school.
