10 Things I Wish I Told My Freshman Self: High School Edition


I have been focusing a whole bunch on university advice but in all reality, I’m the one who needs advice for university. I am definitely no expert after only completing one year of uni. However, I am an expert on high school or at least I like to think that I am an expert.

  1. High school is not the best years of your life. Don’t get me wrong, I really did love high school. While everyone around me was itching to get out of that place, I was dreading graduation day. But as soon as I stepped foot into the real world, aka university, I realized there was so much more to life than high school.
  2. High school drama is stupid drama. It’s true. Looking back at those three years, I can’t even remember what I used to fight about with my friends. That shows exactly how irrelevant it was. Ignore the drama, stop gossiping, it’s really not worth your time.
  3. Not everyone can be your friend. I wanted everyone to like me. To be completely honest, I cared a lot about what others thought. I wanted to be the coolest and have the most friends and really capture the whole high school experience. But at the end of the day, you only need your close group of friends. Stop caring what everyone thinks and start caring about your future. A lot of the people you meet in high school are only temporary.
  4. Get involved. I know this one is a classic tip. Everyone says to volunteer lots and blah blah blah. But in all honesty, getting involved at your school really does make a difference. It helps you care more about your school, meet new people, and get you ready for life after high school. Plus, it always looks good on resumes. So start padding dat resume.
  5. Don’t be intimidated by the older grades. I used to be terrified by anybody older than me. It wasn’t until I was friends with all the younger grades that I realized I missed out on having older friends that could have shown me the ropes. Now that I’m in university, I’ve realized age really is just a number. My goodness, I am cliche.
  6. Be friends with your teachers. And yes, there is a difference between teacher’s pet and friendship. I loved my high school teachers. I think that’s one of the reasons why I want to go into education. They helped me out so many times in all aspects of my life and I am eternally grateful. They understand what you’re going through and they give excellent advice. They are also especially gifted at pulling some strings and finding the best solutions. (Oh hey past teachers if you’re reading this! <3)
  7. Enjoy high school. These are the last few years before you start to become an adult. Scary, I know. This may be the last time you can royally screw things up and still manage to survive. Don’t be stupid, but have a little fun, party a lot, and enjoy being a teenager. I know I did.
  8. Don’t procrastinate. I know everyone says this. Teachers, parents, fellow students, everyone preaches this. But it took me until university to figure out that you have a lot more free time if you just complete your assignments and studying right away instead of waiting until the last possible moment. So save that stress and panicking and just be productive. Trust me.
  9. Graduation is the best. Here in Canada, we don’t have prom but we do have a grad banquet and commencement and all that fun stuff. And boy, was it fun. It’s a solid weekend of celebrating your newfound freedom from 13 years of school. But don’t put too much stress on it. So what if your dress isn’t perfect, or your makeup and hair isn’t exactly how you’d like it or if it’s raining that day, (It was raining on my graduation, I wasn’t as upset as I thought I would be.) once graduation comes, you’ll forget all about that and just have the best night of your life.
  10. Don’t follow any of these tips. (or you can, they are good tips) High school is the time to make mistakes. So don’t stress if not everything goes your way. Learn from your mistakes, you get the drift. Just take a deep breath and be a sassy, rebellious teenager. Or don’t be. Be who you want to be. (Sing to the tune of the Barbie theme song #holla).

Check out my University version andmyUniversity Advicepost!

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