Coming into a big university, I found myself fairly comfortable with the unfamiliar faces and the bustle of students. If anything, it felt relatively normal. Graduating amongst 1,000 other students made large crowds, chaos and unfamiliarity very easy to transition into. While a lot of people have always been astounded as to how large my high school was, and how they couldn't imagine not knowing the majority of their class, I've found it to be fairly beneficial in the long run. While every school is different and is built upon different principals and dynamics, I think it is still generalizable to say that going to a bigger high school prepares you for the future more so than a smaller one. It teaches you more than what's just written in the textbooks, it allows you to grow as a person on a higher level and to gain life lessons you can carry through college and beyond.

Here are five things I learned going to a large high school that have benefited me and served a life lesson.

1. Acceptance

The diversity that often comes with going to a large school sets you up to be more accepting and understanding of individuals. With so many races, ethnicities, beliefs, and backgrounds, it allows you to become a more well-rounded person, and thus further sets you up for success in college.

2. Independence

With so many students, it's hard to relay all the information going around, and hard to check in with a class of 30 plus people. However, this then allows students to not only be more independent thinkers and actually work on their own accord, but also to be more independent learners as well.

3. It's okay to lose.

Going to a large school means competition; grades, sports, clubs. Realistically, whatever it is, there's probably going to be an obstacle to get there. There was always someone who was going to be better than you, and that was just something you had to accept in order to coexist with one another. It taught me that it's okay to not be the best, and to not be a sore loser (or even winner).

4. At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter what people think.

Freshman year of high school I wanted everyone to like me. I wanted the coolest clothes, the best hairstyle, etc. However, I eventually learned that in a sea of so many kids, it realistically didn't matter who you were friends with or what you wore to class, because at the end of the day if one person didn't like you there were hundreds of others that would most likely give you a chance.

5. Individuality

While I will be the first to say that there were many, many students who conformed to one another to meet social norms, I will still argue that with such large numbers of people, there was a clique for everyone; a niche, a hobby, a group of people one could share their favorite activities with. There was always something for everyone, and it set a firm foundation for people to grow and continue to find themselves in the future.