High school is rough. I don't care who you are. The reality is, you don't know who you are, where you're going, where you fit in, and why you're even here. It can be terribly unnerving. I remember I thought I had to be everything to everyone and just do absolutely everything I could. I blame it on the quote, "You'll regret the things you didn't do, more than the ones you do."
After over 10 years since the blur of high school here are a couple of my reflections:
The friends you make in high school will define you, so choose them wisely. I admit I am not the most loyal friend in the sense of I seemed to like to hop around friend groups on a whim, depending on what my interests were at the time. But, I did have a couple of groups of friends that I stuck with more than others and I ended up going to college with them and now, even after college, these great girls are my support and will be my bridesmaids in my upcoming wedding. But, those groups of friends that I was in for maybe short times distracted me from my real friends, the ones who are still my best friends today. So my advice on that point is to be loyal to your true friends, through good and bad, because the ones who are really worth it you'll get to reminisce about those times with forever. The rest of them you'll probably never see again.
Grades matter and extra curricular activities matter, but not for the reasons you might think they do. Again, I literally tried to do everything and also stressed so much to keep my grades up. I was in student council, swimming, running, volleyball, class officer, you name it. Add advanced classes and gifted classes onto that and I still to this day have no idea how I did it all. At the time I can attribute the motivation to me thinking that since I am from a middle class family and they can't afford my college, the way for me to get scholarships for school was to be this perfect kid. But reality hit after many denied scholarship applications that were denied for reasons I will never know. I suppose I was not needy "enough" or not the minority they were looking for or... who knows. Needless to say, all that hard work and lack of sleep did not help me pay for college (I will be paying for my college... forever!).
But, I wouldn't change a single thing about being so busy. The skills I learned throughout those years of high activity, and the high activity itself, helped shape me into someone that I am proud of. (most days) All of my leadership roles really did help me learn how to be a (better) leader, how to organize multiple responsibilities, how to plan events, and how to stay true to myself. My sports help me learn how to be a team player, push myself, be disciplined, and to be good to my body and rest when needed. And all of those difficult classes helped to prepare me for even more difficult classes in college.
So, don't do these things for the scholarships (although scholarships are GREAT if you can get them!!). Do them for the future you. Take the lessons to heart because life is long and you've only just begun. Don't give up because eventually it does get better. But remember, your friendships won't end like classes or teams or clubs. Your friends are for life if you choose them wisely.
After over 10 years since the blur of high school here are a couple of my reflections:
The friends you make in high school will define you, so choose them wisely. I admit I am not the most loyal friend in the sense of I seemed to like to hop around friend groups on a whim, depending on what my interests were at the time. But, I did have a couple of groups of friends that I stuck with more than others and I ended up going to college with them and now, even after college, these great girls are my support and will be my bridesmaids in my upcoming wedding. But, those groups of friends that I was in for maybe short times distracted me from my real friends, the ones who are still my best friends today. So my advice on that point is to be loyal to your true friends, through good and bad, because the ones who are really worth it you'll get to reminisce about those times with forever. The rest of them you'll probably never see again.
Grades matter and extra curricular activities matter, but not for the reasons you might think they do. Again, I literally tried to do everything and also stressed so much to keep my grades up. I was in student council, swimming, running, volleyball, class officer, you name it. Add advanced classes and gifted classes onto that and I still to this day have no idea how I did it all. At the time I can attribute the motivation to me thinking that since I am from a middle class family and they can't afford my college, the way for me to get scholarships for school was to be this perfect kid. But reality hit after many denied scholarship applications that were denied for reasons I will never know. I suppose I was not needy "enough" or not the minority they were looking for or... who knows. Needless to say, all that hard work and lack of sleep did not help me pay for college (I will be paying for my college... forever!).
But, I wouldn't change a single thing about being so busy. The skills I learned throughout those years of high activity, and the high activity itself, helped shape me into someone that I am proud of. (most days) All of my leadership roles really did help me learn how to be a (better) leader, how to organize multiple responsibilities, how to plan events, and how to stay true to myself. My sports help me learn how to be a team player, push myself, be disciplined, and to be good to my body and rest when needed. And all of those difficult classes helped to prepare me for even more difficult classes in college.
So, don't do these things for the scholarships (although scholarships are GREAT if you can get them!!). Do them for the future you. Take the lessons to heart because life is long and you've only just begun. Don't give up because eventually it does get better. But remember, your friendships won't end like classes or teams or clubs. Your friends are for life if you choose them wisely.
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