The year's finally over (for the most part), and I know what you're thinking: thank God, this was the worst nine months of my life ever; I can't wait to rid myself of this place known as "school" and get out of here. Now, I may be the sentimental one, but whenever I finish the year, I always think of all the great memories I have of that year, like the time when some kid dropped a specimen jar in biology (it didn't end well) or the endless card games during class. Sometimes I just want to relive the year and do a few things better than I did before, and relive all the times in class that made me smile.

This was my very first year in high school, and while this comes from my point of view, I have to say that the transition from middle to high wasn't that big of a deal to me. You just had bigger hallways, more people and started to define your future based on your elective classes, but the difficulty level was the same.

It really was just about managing your time wisely, a very different thing from being smart in general.

I didn't know what to expect, but I found that I could get past everything. True, sometimes I blew my head apart stressing for tests or projects or anything that our teachers decided to pile on us, but I did it all because it had to be done, just like in middle school. Even my friend group stayed the same as eighth grade (for the most part, though there were a few exceptions).

I know what people think as soon as they step into the building on the first day of school or even before that: I have to make an impression. It may mean becoming president of a bunch of clubs, getting really competitive with sports and extracurricular activities or just adding as many AP classes to your schedule as possible in the hopes of getting an extremely high GPA for college. But how long will you strive to be the best out of everyone and still be a kid? Don't ever forget that you are still a kid.

I already knew what I was going to do, though it pained me a lot because I am the competitive type. I did nothing. I did almost nothing in my first year of high school other than observe people and gain knowledge and hold up my grades. But I feel like I made the best decision you can.

I took it easy freshman year, got to know who I was dealing with and my surroundings. Just for a year. Far too many people think they need to run ahead in life, but what's the point if everyone's going to get there at some point anyway?

It's just a matter of when.

The best thing about this year was, I finally have a hazy idea of what my life will be about in the coming years of high school and after that. Leaning back from the crowd a little bit and taking in the bigger picture helped me with it, instead of rushing ahead with no real purpose. I know what my priorities are, even if they will take me a long time to get to and a lot of work to pursue.

It doesn't end for me in three years when I go to college. It ends for me when my own life ends. I still have a lot of time, and I intend to use it well past my college years, all the way through my adult years. Be slow and steady, but never stop. That's how you live life, and I have freshman year to thank for teaching me that.