You think you’ve got it all figured out, then college hits you like a train, runs you over, stops, back up to run you over again, chases you, flips you over, and then takes all your money. Okay, so it’s not that bad I’m just a bit dramatic, but moral of the story: you will learn more about yourself in your first semester of college than you have in four years of high school. All of the little things in high school that seemed so important have gone out the window as your world is re-calibrated and your self-discovery is reset and you are introduced to a new world of thinking and importance. Here are 10 things that I have learned in college that I wish I knew in high school.
10. Having a part-time job is key
Leaving for college it is easy to feel like you’re leaving everything about your hometown behind. That’s not the case. You’ll be back on breaks and spending summers at home, so leaving your high school job on a good note and with the intention of coming back is vital. Your first semester of college will drain you of all of your money and you’ll be grateful to return for Christmas break to once again work you a** off.
9. You don’t need to hang out with someone every day to be their best friend
I am still super close with some of my best friends from high school, and I see them about 3 times per year. When we are home on break we hang out as much as we can, but the fact that your friends are now scattered throughout the country with their own lives to worry about does not change the fact that you still care about them and they were seen in public with you when you had bangs and braces: that’s friendship.
8. Cheap is good
Hell yeah I’m wearing knock offs and all of my clothes are from target. I wish I had saved my money in high school and not spent it on Chipotle and nice purses. Remind me again why I sunk serious dough into shoes I would wear to a high school dance once? It is better to save while you’re young and the trends and material items will fade, so you can spend it in your twenties while everyone else is broke and you’ve got rent, bills, and textbooks to buy, but now you can afford a designer bag to carry them in.
7. Get used to real coffee
Okay so going to Starbucks every morning for some skinny-vanilla-non-fat-nutmeg-latte-caremel-swirl coffee for $6.00 was all fun and games in high school. Now it’s 3am, you have 4 papers due tomorrow, 3 exams this week, and are failing 6 out of your 5 classes. You need real caffeine and, trust me, you don’t need the calories from whatever yuppy drink you usually order. Get used to plain coffee, cream and sugar to your liking, and you will save yourself time, calories, and dirty looks next time you need a jolt of caffeine. My personal favorite is the crackaccino with 4 shots of espresso.
6. You do not need a full binder set up for every class
I have a planner and one notebook for my 5 classes plus my laptop. In high school, I probably would have been all set with a few folders and one or two notebooks. School supply shopping seemed to be such a huge expenditure every August so that I could have color-coordinated folders and binders and whatnot for each of my 7 classes. That was excessive; embrace minimalism.
5. No one cares what you look like
In high school, it basically went against my religion to leave the house in sweatpants. I would not dare to be seen in public without at least a layer of foundation and a swipe of mascara. Now, I roll up to class looking half-corpse with day three leggings, unwashed hair, and makeup is not even a fleeting consideration. I have no one to impress, and I just want to make it to class on time, comfort now comes before insecurity. That’s not to say that I don’t care about what I look like, but the difference from high school to college is huge.
4. Just because you got up early for high school, does not mean you can do it in college
I had to be at school by 7:45am every day in high school. When I was registering for my first semester of classes I thought an 8:30am class sounded easy. Take a bunch of early classes, get everything done in the morning, no problem. Boy was I wrong. In college, you will not be in bed by 11pm every night with your homework done and your face washed, ready to go bright and early. And even if you are, there must be something in the water because getting up as early as I did in high school is just funny now.
3. Social media is not real life
Stop comparing yourself to other people based on what they post online. If you’re stressed, depressed, overwhelmed, sad, homesick, bored, having a hard time adjusting– whatever it may be, do not think you are the only one because other people look happy on Instagram. Think about it, not one posts ugly pictures on Facebook, no one Instagrams their anxiety attack, no one tweets about their emotional unrest. If you stop comparing your own life to the social media lives of others, you will be much happier, because social media is a one-sided story. Worry about yo’self.
2. Stick to your routine
In high school I was never happy with the way I looked, much like just about every other teenage girl on this planet. Looking back now, I literally have never looked better. Playing high school sports work wonders and there will never again be a time in your life, unless you play D1 sports in college, that you will do high intensity workouts 6 days a week for 2-3 hours each day. As soon as thats season ends, stick with it. Develop a routine that will keep you in shape and you have time for because I promise, in college you will have plenty of time for napping and never enough time to go for a run.
1. Take everything you can out of your academics
Yes, I learned a lot of useless bullsh*t in high school, but there’s a whole lot that has actually helped me. When you’re sitting in your high school classes, try to think about its application to real life and its application to your career. For example, I’m a Fashion Merchandising major, so why did I take AP Government and Politics? Turns out, I had to take a couple business law and cultural history classes in college, and I already know half of the material because I learned about the powers of the U.S government and the histories that have developed why we dress the way we do today. Sure, no one will ever ask you exact names and dates, but take advantage of any real life or broad application ideas that you can; it will give you an edge in college.
The post 10 Things I Wish I Knew in High School appeared first on College Is My Life.