I learned a lot in my senior year of high school. I can label a map of the entire world thanks to AP human geography. I can draw out a truth table thanks to Prob and Stats. I can tell you all about muscle tissue thanks to anatomy and I can translate almost anything in latin thanks to Latin 4. But the most important things I learned were not taught in a classroom. They were things that I learned about myself thanks to countless teachers and friends. So, here is my list of the top 10 things I learned my senior year. Because sometimes, the things you learn on your own are what really counts.
1. You may not get to go to your dream college and that's okay.
Ball State wasn't my first choice for college. In fact, I resented the whole idea of going to Ball State. I was totally set on going to the college that I had always dreamed of going to. But then I went and visited BSU and I fell in love. I knew that it was the place I wanted to be for the next four years.
2. Playing your dream role in the school musical is a great way to finish your senior year
This year my school did Into The Woods. It has always been my dream to play Little Red. I missed the audition date because I was really sick. But I sent in a video of me singing to the director and I got the part!! It was so much fun to play a role that I had dreamed of doing since I was little.
3. It's okay to cry in front of your teachers. You are only human. And so are they.
It was a hard year for me. Senior year is hard on its own, but I had some extra stuff going on that made it even more difficult. But I found some amazing teachers in high school who I trust greatly. I couldn't have gotten through the year without them.
4. Turning 18 does not make you an adult. Even if you have to do some really grown up stuff.
When I turned 18 I had this big idea that I would be able to do everything I wanted because I was legally an adult. But the truth is you aren't an adult at 18. You are an adult on paper. But in real life, you still need your parents for almost everything. So sure, I don't have a curfew anymore and I can vote. But I had to pay taxes and I still needed my mom to sign me in and out of school.
5. Do all the senior year stuff. You will regret it if you don't.
Take senior pictures. Do the senior prank. Go to prom. Play senior assassin. Get everyone to sign your yearbook. Do it all. You will cherish those memories forever.
6. It's okay to let go of past friendships. It's hard. But sometimes it's the healthiest option.
This year I stopped choosing people who stopped choosing me a long time ago. I began to focus more on the strong relationships that I had. And I became so much happier.
7. Find your tribe. Love them hard.
I guess I didn't learn this just in my senior year. But learning to appreciate even the small moments with my best friend's is something I learned in my senior year. Sing in the car. Have thousands of sleepovers. Cherish the moments that you have with your tribe.
8. Make mistakes, tons of them
I decided that for my senior year I was going to have fun. You can only be young and dumb while in high school one time. But be safe. But have fun. You will later regret the days you didn't seize.
Restrengthening childhood friendships is the most wholesome thing ever.
My childhood best friend and I have gone to school together our entire lives. But I am a year older and when I left for high school we grew apart. But this year, we reconnected and it's been amazing. It's so easy being friends with someone that you have known forever.
10. It really does go by super fast.
Four years goes by so fast. It feels like it was just yesterday that I was a tiny little freshman walking in my high school's building on the first day of school. And now I am about to graduate. It was the best and the worst years of my life. And while there are so many things I wish I could go back and change, I wouldn't trade it for the world.
So, cheers to the last 4 years! May the next 4 years bring many more life lessons!
