When I was in high school, I wish I had known that I didn’t need to take anything too seriously. That, as soon as I stepped foot on my college campus, I wouldn’t remember half the things I spent hours worrying over during those years. I wish I had known it was okay not to be the best person I could be in high school. because 17 is young and I would have plenty of time to be that person later on.

I wish I had known that it wasn’t the end of the world to get a not-so-awesome grade, and that, contrary to what college counselors and teachers led me to believe, I am not my GPA. That a B+ was a good grade and something to be proud of and that I should have ignored the brief, doubtful glances of teachers when they handed something back that had not earned an A.

I wish I had known that uniforms are actually quite delightful and eliminate the stress of having to pick out a new outfit every single day. I wish I had appreciated the plaid skirt that quite often appears in college on Halloween as part of the classic schoolgirl costume. I remain a non-fan of the polo shirt and itchy sweater ensemble, but it would be nice to slip into a pre-planned outfit each morning and, consequently, get more sleep.

I wish I had known that teachers aren’t your worst enemy in college and actually want to help you. That they are there to teach you and want you to succeed in whatever you do. I wish I had known that, although throughout high school it felt like teachers' sole purpose was to tell us what to do and slam hordes of information into our brains, it was knowledge that I would appreciate later on.

I wish I had known to not worry what other people thought of me because that kind of thing doesn’t go away and it’s better to learn to accept it than attempt to please everyone you meet. You can’t be best friends with everyone you meet, and that’s fine.

I wish I had known that I would have ample time to figure out what I wanted to do in life and it was okay that I had no idea what I wanted to be when I grew up. I would have years of classes in several different subject areas ahead of me, and I didn’t have to have to be confident about my career path.

I wish I had known just how much I would miss my mom’s cooking and cleaning, and her telling me what to do. Dining hall food isn’t typically awesome and not only do I wish I had understood the value of a home-cooked meal, but I wish I had known to appreciate a kitchen with no intimidating piles of dishes that requires an army to clean it up.

I wish I had known that I didn’t have to be fearful and worried about losing my high school friends because they would always be there, no matter the distance. That, even now, as we are thousands of miles apart, we remain closer than ever and I can be confident that we will slip right back into our comfortable friendship the moment I see them again.

I wish I had known that it was fine not to have the answers to everything because I would never have them, but that it was okay because that's what makes life so unpredictable and interesting and spontaneous. It’s a good thing to make it up as you go, and I wish I knew that in high school.