While high school does teach you that the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell there are things you need in real life, high school neglects to teach you.

1. How to file your taxes

There’s nothing that welcomes you to an adulthood quite like tax season. Nowadays you can do your taxes online or hire a tax preparer. Time consuming and complicated, it’s no wonder they didn’t teach you this in high school, but it is a significant part of adulthood.

2. How to act professional

You will undoubtedly have to go to job interviews, give presentations and speeches in college that will require you to dress and act professionally. Your one semester public speaking class from high school might come in handy but chances are you’re going to need some practice before you know how to handle every situation.

3. How to budget

The cliche broke college student. How can you avoid this plight in the future? Budgeting, a life skill incredibly important that they never teach you. It’s a bit difficult to budget in college because most students don’t have a steady income but if you have a part time job or saved up money from the summer you should write down how much you can spend weekly or monthly on food, clothes, and if you have student loans how much money you’re putting towards that. This really becomes important when you have student loans, rent, car and house payments and you can’t blow your cash on clothes and food. You have to figure out how much you need to put towards the essentials like utility bills, loans, groceries, and how much you need to save and finally how much you can spend to treat yo self.

4. Quality sex education

Only 24 states and the District of Columbia require sex education, only 18 require information on contraception, and only 13 require information be medically accurate and only 13 states include information on sexual orientation. If you identify as heterosexual you might get the basic information. If you identify as gay, lesbian, trans, or bisexual or anything on the human sexuality spectrum, you’re better off talking to your doctor, or friend to get accurate information.

5. How to clean, cook, or how to maintain a house.

Home ec classes seem to be a thing of the past. Valuable skills like cooking, sewing, and cleaning are not part of a high school curriculum. Look into a college dorm halfway through the year or a recent grads apartment and there’s a good chance you can’t see the floor. This is an issue when college students don't know how to do laundry or pose as a fire hazard when the step into a kitchen.

6. How to put your mental health first

The health class you have to take in high school rarely discusses the importance of mental health. It’s important to realize your mental health links to your physical health and if you have symptoms of stress, depression, anxiety, or any other mental health issue, it is going to cause a problem for your body as well. In college and the real world you need to be aware of your mental health and know when to take a step back from work or school, and make time to care for yourself.

7. The options you have after high school

There’s a preconceived idea of what your life should look like: graduate high school, go to college, find a career, buy a house, have a family, and retire. High school teachers and counselors emphasize the importance of college but never seem to talk about other options post high school. Gap years spent volunteering, traveling, starting your own business, going to community college are all options after high school and might be a better choice for you. It’s limiting to students to convince them that college is the only way you’ll be successful and happy in life, some students have the drive and motivation to start their own life right after high school, and we should encourage it.

8. How to rent an apartment, buy a house, car or any other big life changing purchase.

This is when your parents come in handy to ask them for advice or help when making big decisions. Your first apartment or house is a big deal and there will be forms to be filled out, money to hand over and it’s a lot to handle on your own.

9. How to network

Networking is essential, especially for college students. Meeting anyone and everyone, you will be surprised at how many people you’ll meet who work in the field you’re interested in. If you want to land your dream job, your best bet is to know someone working there through friends or family to get you in. A resume alone will only go so far but knowing people from all different lines of work will benefit you in the future. Keep in contact with them, you never know when you may need their help.