I left high school my sophomore year. If I’m feeling dramatic, I'd say I dropped out. In all honestly, I did neither of those things, but for the sake of quick conversation, those are my two go-to phrases. What really happened is a little more complicated than small talk usually allows. I attended traditional public schools my entire life until my junior year.

After a horrific sophomore year that I’ve now erased from memory for the sake of my own sanity and recovery, I transitioned from my traditional brick-and-mortar high school to an online charter school. I was only supposed to go for a year until I realized how much better it was for me and how horrible public school really had been. Taking that two-year break from the traditional school path put a lot of things in perspective for me. I learned things about myself that I would never have otherwise.

Most of the stereotypes and assumptions about online and homeschool are wrong, or at least they were for me. I spent more time with my friends than I did before, regularly taking advantage of the poor security that kept strangers from coming onto campus. I had the advantage of looking like a high-schooler who should be on campus, and only got caught a couple times because they thought I was sneaking back onto campus.

Senior year, teachers didn’t care, and never called me out for sitting in classes I wasn’t legally enrolled in. I was able to get a job with my open schedule, and soon my co-workers became like family.

The biggest worry my family had about me making the switch, besides losing the social aspect, was how this change would affect my college prospects. Now in my second semester at SDSU, I can say that my status as an online charter school student probably contributed to my acceptance, not detracted.

There is no noticeable difference between my level of knowledge versus my peers, which makes sense considering I took all the same classes as them. People assume the coursework is easier when in reality, I just worked smarter, not harder.

Coming back to a traditional school was a bit of a shock, as expected. Yet after taking that two-year break, I was ready for college. Most kids are tired of the daily grind, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. days, by the time they get to college. Waking up for classes has always been the unfortunate norm for them. I came to college after not having a consistent school schedule for two years. I did my work when I wanted.

My only time restrictions came from work. I was worried I would hate going to classes again, but I actually love it. I chalk it up to high school seeming fundamentally pointless. Most kids at my online school graduated in two years -- I was late to the game and still graduated a semester early.

Not only did online school allow me to rediscover my love for learning, but it also helped me rediscover myself. High school had a ridiculous amount of stress involved, all of which virtually disappeared once I started attending an online school. I was able to focus on myself for the first time in years. One of the most surprising byproducts of my absence from traditional school was my increased self-esteem.

Part of the stress of going to school happened before you even got there -- making yourself presentable to your peer’s standards. Once I left, all I had to worry about was being comfortable in my own home. If I ever did get dressed, it was for work, in which I traded pajamas for a bathing suit. The pressure of conforming to my school’s beauty standards weighed on me, and I didn't realize how heavy that weight was until it was lifted.

I struggle picking out clothes now because I’m out of practice, not because of the paranoia of being ridiculed for an imperfect outfit. I went back-to-school shopping for the first time in a while last summer, and I found myself picking clothes for maximum comfort and efficiency. Any combination I pick out allows me to feel comfortable in my own body. Now, I look as presentable as possible without sacrificing my comfort. I dress for me, not to impress other girls or attract guys.

I roll out of bed, attend to my general hygienic needs, and I’m out the door. The height of my beauty regime is putting on a moisturizer that has sunscreen in it. In some ways, I’ve reverted back to my sixth-grade self who didn’t care about what she looked like -- but I’ve gained the confidence to not care if people give me weird looks for wearing backwards caps everyday.