To Current High School Students,
Congratulations, you’ve made it to high school. Some kids love high school and others don’t. Regardless, these four years go by quick, so make the most of it while you’re there. Try to have fun and be involved, but remember it’s going to come to an end. So it’s important you start planning your future.
On the grand scale of life, high school plays a very small part; remember that. I remember at times my focus was so narrow, only worrying about the present. Then one day I realized it was silly. Sometimes all of the small things and drama seem like it’s the end of the world, but it’s not. If you’re having a rough time, just remember things will get better. You still have your whole life ahead of you.
When you start applying to colleges, it doesn’t matter who you were friends with in high school. It doesn’t matter if you were popular or what you dressed like. So please do not spend your years in high school trying to fit in. Don’t waste your years with people who talk badly about you behind your back. Instead, spend these years bettering you. Try to do well in school, take cool electives, join a sports team. or do volunteer work. These activities will keep you busy and they look great on your college applications.
Plan ahead, do no wait until the last minute to apply to schools. It can be scary to start thinking about your future, but this is not something you want to procrastinate. Do not wait until the fall of your senior year to take your SATs or ACTs either. Keep in mind applications cost money and so does the testing. I highly recommend visiting schools as early as possible, even before you start applying. Schools look a lot different online than in person. It’s always better to be over prepared than under prepared. Also start thinking about what teachers you want recommendations from. Some teachers do not give out recommendations and some only do so many. So you definitely want to be ahead of the game and ask around.
When you graduate, chances are you will not keep in contact with most of your friends from high school. Everyone says they will, but most of the time they don’t. Life is different after high school and people are changing, it’s tough to keep in contact. In some cases, when you graduate you realize how forced some friendships in high school were. Some friendships were just based off of convenience, especially if you went to a small school like I did. But that is OK, because whether you go to college, or join the work force, you’ll meet new people and gain new friends. If you do happen to keep in contact with your high school friends, you have some true friends.
Once senior year approaches, things can get stressful, but there's still a lot of fun. Go to your school’s homecoming game and senior prom. Try to make those cliché memories before graduating. It’s such a special time of your life, so make the most of it! It’s bittersweet, but this is the ending of just one chapter in your life; you still have a whole story to tell.
Sincerely,
A High School Graduate
