I went to a really big high school where I was one of a thousand kids. I had friends, but I wasn't popular. I did okay in my classes, but was nowhere close to being a genius. I worked hard because I wanted to be done. Every day I went was one less day I had left.

I wasn't depressed or scary alone, I just didn't enjoy high school like some people did. I got sucked into a friend group my freshman year and never really branched out from there. I was one of those people who had two or three really close friends and when things got shaky with them I was pretty much alone. I had other friends, but they were all in other groups -- groups that I didn't necessarily fit into. I didn't get involved in anything and never really made the effort that I should have. In my defense, though, it was really hard at the high school I went to. You either fit into a group or you didn't. You were set if you were an athlete, a popular kid, or a really smart kid; the rest of us just kind showed up.

My mom told me all throughout those four years that the people who peak in high school are pretty much done after graduation. Yeah, they were cool then, but what about after graduation? Would they really be that popular in the years after? I just had to keep reminding myself of that, because I was totally not one of those people. I did not peak in high school, most people didn't even know who I was. I really was okay with that because I knew when I went to college I could start over. I could still be me, but I could make all new friends and create a whole new path for myself.

I was pleasantly surprised when I went to college and discovered all of that was true. I made all new friends who didn't have a clue who I was in high school. No one asked about what my identity was in high school, they didn't care that I wasn't on the State Championship winning volleyball team or that I didn't date any of the baseball players. It was was refreshing to know that people wanted to get to know me, not who I was in high school.

High school is hard, but it's only four years of your life -- four years that don't really matter in the grand scheme of things. College is amazing; you are with people who have the same goals and aspirations as you. Going to college was one of the best things that happened to me; I met amazing people and really grew as a person. Every little part of me that got shut down and locked away while I was in high school really blossomed and grew once I started college.

So, my answer is no; I would never go back to high school. My four years there taught me a lot and looking back those years made me stronger, but I love the person I have grown to be since I graduated.