Looking Back at a Different Life by Alexandra

Looking Back at a Different Life by Alexandra - April 2016 Scholarship Essay

Going in to high school is a hard transition for just about every kid that goes through it. Some kids are scared or worried and some are excited for the change. Personally, I was absolutely terrified. I did not want to have to go to a big school and have to change buildings just to go to another class. I did not want to go from the oldest in the school to being the lowest on the totem pole. It is scary to think about all the changes that are going to occur. For the people that were or are excited to get to high school, they are ready to grow up and get out of their towns for some reason or another. Everybody feels a little different, but either way, it is not easy. Growing up is the hardest thing you have to do, even if you do not realize it as a freshman in high school.
As a senior in the end of my high school career, I feel as if I have personally learned a lot along the way. As a freshman, I never listened to what everyone else had to say because I always thought that I would be the exception. I thought that adults and upperclassmen just said things to scare us away. I thought that they had no idea what I was going through because they do not know anything about me. Just because they went through that, does not mean that I would. Looking back now, I fully believe everything that they said to me all those years ago when I ignored their warnings, and I wish more than anything that I had listened to them.
I know that the freshman now probably think the exact same thing that I did four years ago, and I understand that completely, but if I could drill any piece of advice into their heads that they would actually hear and take into consideration, I would tell them to believe what everyone says. I would tell them to listen to those who have been through it because it will help them so much more in the long run. Believe your parents when they say not to take anything for granted because it will all fly by in the blink of an eye. It may not feel like it now, but when you are standing on the stage getting your diploma, you will look back and you will regret the things that you did not do. You will think about all the good times that you have had at your school and realize that those times with those friends may have just come to an end. You will realize your entire life is about to change and you have no idea how to feel about it. Believe the upperclassman when they tell you that you will not have the same old group of friends you had throughout middle school, but do not be sad about it. It is not necessarily a bad thing. People grow apart and things happen and you have to accept that or it will tear you apart. Listen to the people that tell you to participate in everything you can because you could miss some amazing opportunities, but do not overwork yourself because making yourself miserable is so not worth it. Most of all, listen when they say that nothing will be the same in four years, even if you cannot see it now. It may not even seem like it has changed that much. One day, as a senior in high school as you are applying for colleges and scholarships, you will look back at your life when you thought that nothing would change, and you will see that nothing is actually the same at all. You will notice that everyone around you has changed in some way or another and you will miss those days. You will miss who you used to be and the friendships you used to have. You will miss when you had the easy math class instead of the trigonometry that you are stressing about now. You will miss going to lame school dances and football games you never really paid attention to and pep rallies that you thought were dumb. So my advice to all the younger students out there is to just take it all in. Take in everything that you can because the day that you realize it is all over is too late. Do not take anything or anyone for granted because I promise you that you will regret it.