To My High School Self,

Being a girl in high school is rough. I understand that it’s a time when you're moody, and you feel as if you're constantly being judged. You're trying to figure out who you are, while also trying to fit in with the crowd. Boys, clothes, friends, parties, and driver’s licenses are your main priorities–and it's easy to get so sucked into your everyday life. I was once in your shoes, and I never realized that I would change so much after graduation. I’m going to be a teacher one day, and working in a high school this year has given me insight, and much nostalgia about my own high school experience. Looking back on my life in high school, I wish I could go back and tell myself that what I was doing was ridiculous. So, here's my advice to you.

Enjoy your group of friends.

It is so easy to keep in close contact with your friends when you see them every day. After graduation, you’ll go to different schools in different states, and it takes so much planning to actually get together with someone. You have so many friends at this point of your life, and unfortunately you’ll drift from some of them. It's sad, but your best friend today may not even be in your life next year. You won’t mean for it to happen, but it’s a part of life. Cherish those morning drives to school with your best friends, your lunches in the cafeteria, and being able to share a class with all of your friends.

Get involved.

Looking back, I see that my philosophy in high school was: get there, go to class, and leave. I wish I had more to do with my class, and I wish that I had more roots in my school. You really don’t have to be that shy!

Save money.

Being broke in college is the worst. You really should have gotten a job. I really wish I worked more during high school and saved up a decent amount of money in my bank account so I wouldn’t have to worry later on.

It’s okay if you don’t have a boyfriend.

Your self-worth isn’t about who your boyfriend is, or if you have one! You don’t need to be in one of those "couples showing extreme PDA in the hallways" relationships. It’ll all get better, and instead of holding hands in the hallway, you’ll be holding hands on campus when you meet someone special in college.

You’re not too cool for your family.

It’s not your family’s fault that you’re a hormonal teenager, and you should make sure you’re checking in with them on a regular basis. Your family is forever, and they’re actually a lot of fun if you give them a chance.

Don’t try to please others.

It seemed like there were so many things I had to do to seem cool in high school, but this actually hurt me in the long run. Don’t feel the need to please others if it isn’t a good decision for you. I wasted so much gas driving my younger friends around when I first got my license, and I shouldn’t have done all the work in those group projects.

Partying isn’t as cool as you think.

Sure, socializing is great. Seeing people outside of school is great too, and being in a relaxed atmosphere isn’t bad. But when you’re sixteen, seventeen, and eighteen, you need to know that no one is going to think you’re cool for drinking or doing drugs, and that peer pressure shouldn’t be the deciding factor in what you do.

Enjoy your last semester of senior year.

Enjoy senioritis! My last semester, I did absolutely nothing. I had barely any work, and everyone was so excited about the schools they got accepted into. It was such a fun and exciting semester, and everyone was so proud of us because we were about to graduate. Take advantage of this time, because before you know it, you’ll be pulling an all-nighter to write a 10-page research paper that needs in-text citations and living off caffeine and microwavable foods.

Enjoy your body now.

The "freshman fifteen" exists, and I’m sorry to tell you this, but you’ll never look like that again.