While I love college already and I’m excited for new experiences, classes, and friends, I sometimes find myself missing some of the comforts of my small all-girls high school. High school was both a time of stress and happiness, and I find myself looking back on the aspects that make college and high school so different.
1. Knowing everyone in my classes
Since my high school was small, I took comfort in the fact that I knew all of the girls in each of my classes. While I like meeting new people in my college classes, I miss the days when I’d know pretty much everything about the person I was sitting next to and be able to laugh and talk with them effortlessly.
2. Rolling out of bed and going right to school
Gone are the days of waking up ten minutes before school, throwing on my uniform, and running out the door without makeup and my hair in a messy bun. This could possibly be one of the things I miss the most, as I now have to sacrifice precious minutes of sleep in order to look somewhat presentable. I can’t believe I’m actually saying this, but I miss my plaid skirt, penny loafers, and even the itchy pullover sweater.
3. Driving to school with friends
Some of my favorite high school memories were simply driving to school with my friends as we blasted Taylor Swift and gabbed about the latest gossip. These trips almost always involved stopping for Dunkin iced coffees even though we knew we were going to miss the first bell.
4. Decorating lockers for birthdays
Birthdays were a huge deal at my high school, and I miss seeing the creatively decorated lockers throughout the school sporting birthday messages and embarrassing pictures of the birthday girl. Balloons and cupcakes were always a must as well. Birthdays were just another excuse to bring in food, because as I have learned throughout my high school years, my friends and I cherished our buffalo chicken dip.
5. Crazy traditions
I am grateful that I got the opportunity to be a part of such a close knit community where both the students and faculty loved their school. Because of this, my school was able to participate in some unique traditions such as teacher flash mobs, talent shows, Thanksgiving feasts, dance marathons, and Mr. Monday dress down days (when we would all dress as guys for the day during our spirit week).
6. Sharing the same struggles with my classmates
I miss complaining to my friends about a test and having them feel my pain or having them help me with homework questions because they were in all of the same classes..
7. Studying with friends before school
I could always count on my classmates to cram study with me in the lounge before school or at lunch before the test. Chances were that most of my peers were stressing about the same tests and would join in our daily study sessions.
8. Having the same lunchtime as all of your friends
Syncing your lunch schedule with your friends’ in college can sometimes be difficult since your class schedules are so different. In high school, I never had to worry about eating lunch alone, which I often do nowadays.
9. Being close with my teachers
One of the great things about going to a small high school was the opportunity to become friends with my teachers and the faculty. I was able to get to know my principal, pop in to get candy at the guidance counselors office, or chat with the lunch ladies.
10. Having a great group of gal pals
I miss singing in the hallways and being weird without having guys around. I was blessed to meet some of my best friends and have so many awesome memories with them at the place we used to call our second home. While I love my college friends, there is something special about the friends I made in high school.
