Welcome to high school! The next four years will be the best time of your life. You will learn crucial information that you will use for years to come, like the formula for photosynthesis and how to graph a logarithmic equation. Don’t forget about the social, emotional and mental skills you’ll discover, including jealousy and anxiety. And while you’re here, why don’t you figure out how to compare yourself to others in every possible way? You’ll even learn how to cram four hours of homework into one! Doesn’t that sound fun?

We’ll start off easy, as it is your first year. Be sure to make friends fast, so you aren’t all alone for the entire year. But, make sure you pick the right people. Do they have Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter? Are they well-known and popular? Who cares if you don’t have anything in common, or don’t actually like each other. It will make you better! Once you have your group, hang out with them every chance you get to build social skills. Post about them all over social media, and soon you’ll be popular and perfect, just like them.

Do sports to stay involved in the school. They will help you get into college! You’ll have so much stress as you build up to your tryout, but just remember to focus on how others’ do and you’ll be just fine. You have to be star varsity player, though, or you won’t get any scholarship money. And then it will all be a waste. You might as well join a few clubs while you’re at it. They will look great on your college applications, too! It’s okay if you are never home, because it’s fun. Right?

Always remember, homework comes first, so complete all of your assignments beforehand. It should only take you, like, four hours. No problem. Get A+s in every class, and you’ll succeed in life. Never get lower than a B. Ever. Not even on one assignment. It will just bring down your GPA. Compare your grades with all of your peers to make sure you are keeping up with them. And if your grades aren’t as good, stress about them for awhile, and they should get better. By the end of the year, you will have a 4.0 GPA. Everything will be perfect!

Fast forward three years, and here you are at graduation. First in the class, going to your dream college, on track to have an amazing career and life. Aren’t you happy now?

No. You’re not. How could you

High school is NOT perfect. And it shouldn’t be.

When I was younger, I hung out with whoever was around me. I never became close with anyone, but I didn’t want to feel alone. As I transitioned to middle school, I found the group of people I belonged in, and it made me feel complete. I was truly happy. But high school changes things, especially people. One of my best friends started acting different, and turned on my group. I cried for hours. I knew the friendship had become toxic, and was hurting me. It was hard, but I knew it was the best thing to do, so I began fading away. It’s okay to change and make new friends, or lose old friends. You don’t have to be popular, or have every social media network. Staying true to yourself will bring the most happiness, and that is important to remember.

    For ten years, I played soccer for my city league. I loved the sport, and all of the people on my team. But, as we grew older, the game was filled with drama, and talent mattered more than passion and effort. So I decided not to play in high school. Instead, I joined the tennis team. I had never played tennis before, and walking to the meeting my freshman year, I was terrified, but excited. Most of my friends were joining too, and we all would be learning together. Fast forward two years, and my best friend and I are playing varsity doubles together. We aren’t star athletes, or even great players, but we have fun. And that’s what matters most.

For  my entire life, I have worried about my grades. If I didn’t get an A on everything, I would panic and stress out. I felt as though everything was over. But, recently I have realized that is not the case. I don’t have to get 100% on all of my assignments to be a good student. Or to be successful. Everything will still work out. And I have been a much happier person because of that.

Year after year, students are told that need to take difficult classes and have high grades, or they won’t go to college. That they must know what school they are going to after high school, and what they will do in their life. But, it is okay to not know. It is okay to take classes that you like. It is okay to not have perfect grades. Students need to know this.

High school is only four years long. You might as well enjoy it.