10 Things I Wish I Knew In High School

Now that it's already July, I thought I'd put together a little High School Series where I talk about my high school experience and give advice. I felt like this would be a nice way to clear my mind of everything high school before starting college! My hope is that someone in high school or just starting high school will find this series and benefit from it, or that I'll meet some other newbie college life bloggers like myself!

The first topic in my High School series that I wanted to talk about was the Top 10 Things I Wish I Knew In High School, especially in terms of the things I wish I knew during freshman and sophomore year. The following list contains 10 pieces of advice based on the things I wish I knew earlier in my high school career:

1. ALL four years matter. A common misconception in high school that a lot of people have is that they think that you don't have to try very hard freshman and sophomore year, and that grades don't really matter that first year of high school. However, that couldn't be any further from the truth. All four years of high school are important, especially in terms of applying to colleges. If you completely blow it freshman year like some people I know, it's really hard to come back from it. It's not impossible and I know things happen, but it's still really hard. Luckily, I did do well my freshman year, I just think I could have tried even harder, and I wish I knew that it would have helped me in the long run if I had put in a little more effort. 

2. Your past doesn't define you. Just because you had your weird middle school days (I'd like to forget mine), it doesn't mean you can't shape yourself differently in high school. You're allowed to be whoever you want to be, and high school gives you a new start. I wish I knew that I could be myself, and I wish I would have found my niche earlier in high school.

3. Make Sure to Choose Your Friends Wisely. This is definitely a biggie. My Mom always advised me to find nice friends because other people will associate me with the people I hang out with. Thankfully, I did find some good friends my freshman year, some of the same people who I'm still friends with now that I've graduated. But now that I'm done with high school, I've found that a couple of my "friends" weren't really my friends. I had sort of seen the writing on the wall near the start of my senior year about a couple of these girls, so the point is, I wish I choose some of my friends more wisely.

4. Don't worry so much about what other people think. To be honest, I still haven't mastered this one completely. But I have come a long way. I just wish that freshman year of high school, I wouldn't have cared what everyone thought of me so much. I think I would have been a lot happier if I didn't, and I wish I would have known that it's okay to be a little different. :)

5. It's best to branch out of your comfort zone. Activity wise, I used to be a competitive swimmer and I played in my school's orchestra both freshman and sophomore year. I didn't do any other clubs or activities because swimming and orchestra took up so much of my time. But when I had to quit swimming at the start of my junior year, I had a whole bunch of time on my hands, and I wish I would have joined a club earlier in my high school years. It's a lot easier that way, and if I branched out and joined a club or organization, I could have met so many more people! Socially, I think branching out of your comfort zone applies as well. It was so easy for me to just hang out with my circle of friends, and not have to approach anyone else. I wish I would have talked to more people in my classes, and people I didn't know very well. I could have had a broader circle of friends, and met people I normally wouldn't have! It's a good thing I learned this for junior year!

6. You'll change tremendously. I'm definitely not the same person I was 4 years ago, during freshman year of high school. I've changed so much, and thankfully for the better! I just wish that during freshman year, I wasn't so afraid of change. That it was okay and normal for change to happen, whether it be within my group of friends, or anything, really. 

7. You aren't defined by a number. This one is mostly in regards to junior year, but still applies to the rest of the high school years. I wish I knew that a number, like your GPA or ACT scores, doesn't define you as a person. I mean I knew this, but I would get so worked up about any slip in scores or a not-so-good grade on a homework assignment. I just wish I knew that if I tried my best, that was all I could do, and that I could always try harder to better myself the next time. 

8.  You'll win some and you'll lose some. Meaning: you won't be perfect all 4 years of high school, and that's okay. You're going to make some mistakes, and you're not going to be amazing at everything. You'll get recognition for some things you do, but not for everything. I think this is important for everyone to learn, and I wish I would have learned this sooner.

9. Look toward the future, but stay in the moment. After the initial appeal of high school during freshman year, there's bound to be things that you're bored with at your school, or things that don't really appeal to you anymore. This was the case with me, especially my senior year (aka senioritis). All throughout senior year, I feel like I was too busy counting down the days to graduation and finally being out of high school, that I forgot to stay in the moment. I wish I had more memories from my senior year, so my advice to anyone in high school right now is to make the most of your time in high school, because those 4 years will truly fly by. 

10. The best is yet to come. This is one of the biggest things I wish I knew in high school. It's okay if your high school experience isn't perfect. I know I haven't even gone off to college yet, but I just know that although I had a good high school experience, life after high school will be even better. I've been told this by multiple friends who are already in college, and I believe them. I can't wait for my college years!

And that is my 10 things I wish I knew earlier in high school. For any of you who have already finished high school, did I miss anything? Is there anything you'd like to add?

That's all for now,

♥ Colleen