1. People aren’t always who they say they are
· Entering high school, we believe that everyone we associate with are friends and that friends can do no wrong. I learned over the years that trust is not something that should be so easily given, and when someone shows you who they are, you should believe them. High school really is as scandalous as they say it is, and it’s important to keep your eyes open and not be so quick to put something past someone.
2. Take the ACT seriously!
· Depending on what you want to do after high school, it can determine a lot. Of course, it isn’t everything, but if college is the next step, it’s very important. It makes a difference when it comes to academic scholarships and even college acceptances.
3. Be friends with your teachers
· Get on their good side and stay there! These are the people who give you the grades that make or break your GPA, and being in good with a teacher can be a saving grace when you’re borderline and need them to help you over the finish line. Some teachers even play favoritism, and even though it’s not exactly fair…hey, it’s life. Get in tune.
4. Popularity isn’t everything
· When I first started high school, I wanted to know everyone and I wanted everyone to somehow know me. I soon realized that that was the least of my worries, and there were much more important things that I could focus my time on. Some people make it a priority to social climb for all the wrong reasons and thirst for attention, but when you come to the end of the road, you realize that soon, none of these high school trivialities will even matter anymore.
5. Your grades matter every single year
· This may be a given, but some believe that it really starts to matter junior year. And it does, but it also matters before then too. You carry your GPA with you throughout all four years, and you don’t want your transcripts tarnished because you thought you could jerk around for your first couple years, then get serious when it “mattered.” It always matters.
6. Don’t stress the little things
· They matter a lot less than you think they do. When you’re upset because you can’t go out one weekend or something doesn’t go your way, think, will it matter five years from now? If the answer is no, let it go and save yourself the stress and anger.
7. Your parents really do know what they’re talking about
· As teenagers, we think that we know everything better than everyone around us. When our parents try to guide us in a direction we’re not trying to explore or tell us something we don’t want to hear, we tend to blow them off because “they don’t understand us” or “they don’t know what they’re talking about.” Well…they do. Most of the time, at least.
8. Be curious. Use your resources.
· Don’t be afraid to explore and use the resources around you —that’s what they’re there for! Learn how to make things work for you and don’t be afraid to speak up, because that’s how you get ahead.
9. Don’t rush it.
· High school really does fly by, sometimes even before we have the chance to appreciate it. Enjoy the time while you have it, because when you look back on them you’ll realize that you really did have some of the times of your life in those precious years. You have the rest of your life to grow older and be an adult—this time in our life is valuable; don’t waste it wishing it was over!
10. C’est la vie, life goes on.
· This is probably the most important and valuable lesson I’ve learned in high school, and I can’t be more thankful for the experiences that brought me to it. There were times when I thought my world was ending, when I cried myself to sleep, when I didn’t know how I was gonna make it through a situation. Everything I’ve experienced has shaped me into the woman I am today, and if I could go back, I wouldn’t change a thing. I’ve been through a lot in my four years of high school, and…I’m still here. I made it.
“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” –Robert Frost
