It's safe to say that going to an all girls high school is not quite like the typical high school experience, no matter what school you go to. There will always be memories and traditions that girls from a single sex school will have that not everyone else will. So without further ado, here are five traditions that I remember and cherish from my high school days:

1. Always asking to go to the bathroom.

I will be the first to admit that I still do this to this day, much to my friends and professors surprise. For some strange reason, I don't know what it is, but I somehow can't just get up and leave a room without asking for permission first. It's even one of the few phrases that I actually remember from high school Spanish class...

2. Minimal effort is put towards appearance.

And by minimal I mean rolling out of bed, throwing on the uniform for the day, scraping hair into a quick pony tail and leaving for school. Makeup was definitely not that important when it came to day to day activities (that was saved for special events like spirit days). And if makeup didn't factor into it, shaving did not either (that was done only when it was absolutely necessary, which was probably about once a month).

3. Free dress days were like currency.

Other than the scheduled free dress days, the teachers and administration would actually reward good behavior with free dress days. These were the only days where outfits were carefully thought out and laid out the night before. After all, they were a special occasion that only came around once in a while.

4. Birthdays were a huge deal.

We went all out for our friends birthdays. Lockers were wrapped, an assortment of desserts were assigned to each person to bring, and a friend would always find a way to bring it up in class so you could be sung to every period. There was nothing quite like a birthday in high school, it was special in it's own way.

5. Spirit Days

Co-ed school may have things like big football games and homecoming but an all girls school will always have their spirit days. In preparation songs and cheers were written and practiced (all appropriate of course). These were the days that the face paint was taken out, bandanas were tied on various body parts and the class colors were proudly wore. Everyone came ready to scream and just have a good time.