9 Things I’d Tell My High School Self As A 21-year-old College Student

Oh, high school! How times have gone by. Some people say that the 4 years you spend in high school tend to be the most formative years of your life — 4 years where you crumble under the workload of AP classes, do pointless extracurriculars for your CV, crush on the senior boys, cry when that love is unrequited, and have endless confrontations with mean cliquey girls.

For those currently in the trenches (i.e. high school), I thought I’d impart some wisdom which might help you out and justify that what you’re going through is absolutely normal and that this too shall pass.

1. Stop wasting your time trying to get accepted in the cool/popular clique.

Honestly, what even is ‘cool’ anymore? In 2019, it’s considered cool to just be yourself, so be as unique as they come.

2. Please don’t do community service just because it looks good on your resume.

Understand what your contribution to the community around you actually means and be appreciative of the chance to serve your people.

3. Your first high school romance will be wonderful, painful, and unique.

And even if that romance fizzles out with the end of high school, never have any regrets over that experience. Instead choose to remember how your first love made you feel — special and noticed.

4. You are probably not going to remain lifelong friends with your ‘squad’ from high school.

Honestly, you’ll be lucky if you manage to keep in touch with even five people in the future.

5. If you’re feeling depressed or anxious, don’t keep it to yourself.

Tell your parents, go seek out the high school counsellor, share your thoughts with a trusted adult — you’re far too important to suffer through this all on your own.

6. Your SAT Score is not a measure of your intellect or cognitive ability.

Oftentimes, it’s a test designed to see how much you can do in a limited time and if colleges don’t accept you because of your score, well, it’s their loss.

7. ACT. YOUR. AGE.

Time moves by really quickly and before you know it, you’ll have to do some adulting, like finding a job or looking for an apartment. Enjoy your youth while you still can and don’t grow up before it’s actually needed.

8. For the love of all that is good and kind, stop writing those passive-aggressive Facebook/Twitter statuses and captioning your pictures with emotional quotes.

Keep your emo phases away from social media as they may make you cringe in the future.

9. Finally, remember that not everyone was raised like you.

And that’s why you’re probably not connecting with your friends in high school. But don’t fret, at college you’ll eventually find your tribe who will accept and love you just as you are!