What I Wish I Would Have Known by Alysia

What I Wish I Would Have Known by Alysia - November 2014 Scholarship Essay

Coming into my freshman year of high school I was not prepared for the amount of fear, dread, and despair that came with that first day. Not being able to ask for help I got lost finding my way to class. After being excused from the wrong seat I found myself in the correct classroom. “Would somebody have told me?” “Would anyone have even told me the correct room?” The answer to all my questions that ran through my mind was; yes.

The first thing I wish I would have known coming in as a freshman was that people would have helped me. There are many peers, faculty advisers, and mentors who are willing to help you in high school if you only just ask. Students can direct you to the right class, help you find great teachers, and point out clubs that might be meaningful to you. All you have to do is ask, because there truly never is such a thing as a “dumb question.”

The second thing I wish I would have known is that it is important to do your best in school. Getting a tutor does not for one second mean you are any less than the student who is getting an A. By reaching out for help once again, you are empowering yourself in that class and possibly even passing it. Tutors can be in the form of another student, your family, or even your teacher. Your teachers are a resource for you and will be more than willing to help you. Regardless if you get tutored outside of school or by someone inside of it you finished that class and just think; you will never have to take that class again!

The third piece of advice I wish I would have known is to put yourself out there. Join a sports team, academic club, community service club, or even a club that resides with your morals and beliefs. Teams and clubs can create a great group of friends, support network, and a positive influence around you in high school. Classes only get harder as you move up in school and surrounding yourself with a group of friends can help you get through the next four years.
The last piece of advice I would give myself is go to all the dances and activities. Seriously go to all of them, if only once just for the experience. Even if the dance is not as great as you thought it would be, even if there are not a ton of people there, the experience will be rewarding in the future. Getting dressed up with your friends, going to dinner, and finally making it to the dance, or football game, or meeting can always be more fun than the actual dance itself. Create those memories with your friends. You deserve to have pictures, videos, and social media posts of those times for when you’re in college and missing your friends. You will miss them and in those times the pictures are what help the most.

These four pieces of advice are what I wish someone would have told me while I was in high school. I hope that each and every high school student has a positive experience, but you can strive for it yourself by immersing yourself, putting academics first, and creating a long lasting group of friends you can cherish once you graduate. Those four years go by quickly and in the end, you shouldn't have had any regrets like I did.