To all of the high school freshman,

I remember the day I first walked through the doors of high school, and now I can finally say I remember the day I finally walked out. I use the word finally because throughout those four years, I wanted nothing more than for them to be over. Now they are. Looking back at those four years of hell, I'm realizing how many life lessons I've learned. I call high school a flim-flam every day because I think 99.99 percent of the classes we were required to take will not help us at all in the future. I think what is actually learned in high school does not come from the books; it comes from the people you surround yourself with and the environments you are in. You learn about life and you learn about yourself. I want to share my insight with you because it may sink in a little better coming from a fresh high school graduate rather than your parents.

One thing I've learned in high school is that people are temporary. You will not walk into high school with the same friends you walk out of high school with. In fact, I am walking out of high school with only one extremely close friend and she is all I need. You will drift away from friends because you will become different people. Your friends will leave you and you are just as replaceable as they are. You will find new friends. Your best friend will find another best friend, and your new best friend after that will leave you once you get a boyfriend. The people you call your friends most likely do not have your best interest at heart and won't last very long.

Throughout high school, people are so obsessed with the party scene. You would do desperate things to be able to go to a house party because you are so cool if you go! You aren't. A majority of the people who go to those parties are airheads and they are going no where in life. These parties don't provide you with anything other than a blackout or a hangover the next morning, and getting to that blackout point is in no way "cool." It's embarrassing, and I speak from experience. All you get from that is a bad false reputation of someone you are not.

Boys. There is no boy worth hurting yourself over. If someone brings you down more than lifts you up then leave. If you are ever questioning if you are good enough for someone, leave. They aren't good enough for you. Any boy who can't commit to you can't see how much you're worth and won't treat you the way you deserve to be treated, nor the way you want to be treated. Chasing someone is painful and not worth the amount of damage it causes. You are worth so much more than what some boy toy thinks about you and I wish I could instill that message into every girl going into high school.

I've always gotten straight A's with maybe a B thrown in the mix. I didn't put the maximum amount of effort I could have into my work and I wish I did. I didn't realize how competitive colleges are especially with popular degrees such as nursing. All of our parents tell us to buckle down and study but do we take it seriously enough? I wish I did because blowing off schoolwork for your friends or just because you're flat out lazy will only hurt you in the long run. I wasn't able to go to my first choice school because of it. Small choices like that effect you. Four years of my life could've gone a totally different way.

You should spend more time with your family. They will always be there for you. You treat them like punching bags but they will never leave you. We ditch them for the most temporary people that are such a waste of time. They aren't going anywhere, and family relationships are so important. If I didn't have my mom to listen to me grumble or cry everyday I don't know what I'd do. It's so easy to blow them off or take things out on them because we know they aren't going anywhere, but we should treat these permanent people like we treat the temporary ones that we think will last forever.

Make yourself your number one priority. You are building your life right now! Make choices that are beneficial to you and your future. That includes every category you can imagine. People will walk in and out of your life and to focus yourself around other people is incredibly stupid. At the end of the day you only have yourself.

Give people a chance and involve yourself in things to get to know people. I sat during my graduation ceremony hearing all the names of people walking across the stage, seeing familiar and unfamiliar faces. I wish I would've involved myself more and gotten to know more people. You never know the connection you could have with someone if you don't give people chances.

You're beautiful the way you are and I hope that when you graduate you can look back and see that. I remember my freshman year I hated myself more than anything. I would pick myself apart all day every day and I despised everything I saw in the mirror. It takes strength to find the good in yourself. You will find yourself more and more as the years go on and it is a really amazing but horrifying thing.

To all the high school freshman, I wish you the best of luck throughout the next four years of your life. As a chapter is closing for me, one is just beginning for you. I would say I hope you don't experience some of the pain I went through in high school but it has shaped me into the woman I am today. I hope you all grow into amazing people and learn for yourselves everything I have written above.

Much love,

A college freshman!!