How To Succeed In High School While Really Trying by Kristen

How To Succeed In High School While Really Trying by Kristen - November 2014 Scholarship Essay

High school is a tumultuous four year period, marked by stress, drama, and tears but also by happiness, memories, and lasting friendships. It’s colloquially known as “the best time in your life,” but don’t let that intimidate you.
High school, like almost anything in life, is as terrible or wonderful as you choose to make it. The people who say it was the best time of their lives are those who chose to make it that way. So get everything you can out of your high school experience because once it’s gone, it’s gone. Sit next to the student who doesn’t have any friends, and watch how good it makes both of you feel. Get involved in every sport and activity that even vaguely interests you, even if none of your friends go with you. Be nice to everybody, even the grumpy janitor, because someone’s job doesn’t make them any lower than you.

Find a strong group of friends, but don’t limit yourself. Talk to somebody you never thought you’d meet. Smile at someone who looks like they need it. Don’t worry if one of your friends fights with you or gossips about you. Seriously, don’t. Remember that even if this fish bowl is your whole world right now, in four years, when you receive your diploma, the fishbowl will be smashed and you’ll be thrown into a sea of new fishes and experiences. Let this scare you, but let it comfort you too. Repeat it when you’re feeling discouraged but forget it when you’re feeling overwhelmed.

Relationships are fun, but they aren’t everything. Don’t lose your friends for a significant other. Your friends will be there when he might not be. Cherish that. Cry for an hour when you break up, then hold your head high and move on. Don’t feel down on yourself if you’re single and all your friends are taken. Feel special and proud for not settling for less than what you deserve.

Focus on school, but not too hard. Grades are important, but don’t overwork yourself. Take classes you can handle and leave time for fun. Ask your teacher for extra help; there’s no shame in needing it. Thank them for what they do. Do all the homework and extra credit, no exceptions.

Think about college early, but don’t freak out just yet. As a teenager, you don’t have to have your whole life figured out. When every student around you seems to know exactly where their life is going, remember it’s just a façade. In a few years, half of them will have changed their major, probably multiple times. College is about finding yourself, especially the first two years. So don’t be concerned if you don’t know what exactly you want to major in or what career path you want to be in.

When you walk across the stage in four years to receive your coveted diplomas, have no regrets and release all grudges. I know four years seems like an eternity away, but it’ll be gone before you can blink. Your high school experience may not have been perfect, but the second you take your grad cap off and toss it up into the air, it becomes yours, for better and for worse. So as the fish bowl shatters and you test how well your fins can work in the depths of the ocean, look back on the fishbowl with pride and fondness, not anger and regret. They might say high school is the best time of your life, but truth is, there are bigger and better things out there. You just have to go find them.