Many of my friends from home are seniors in high school, and now they're committing to schools for next year. It's crazy to think that these people who I took under my wing as a sophomore are now growing up and moving on, and they're so ready to do just that. I was really reluctant to even apply to colleges, and so when I graduated, I was a little afraid of what was to come. So far, things are going well, but there will probably always be a part of me that wishes I could go back to my rigid day to day schedule. Here's why.

1. I met most of my best friends in high school.

The people who really appreciated me for me and saw something that I was blind to, are the people I met while in 9th-12th grade. I don't know what I would do without these people, and I wish we kept in touch a little more. I know they're all in a rush to get out, but I sometimes consider them the lucky ones.

2. I miss my extracurriculars.

Choir was a class for me in high school, but we met on Monday nights to rehearse, so I consider it an extracurricular activity. While I don't miss the teacher I had, I do miss the "great bonding experience" we all got out of the class. Everyone was kind to each other and we were all there to do what we love to do: make music and enjoy the company of others who do the same. A cappella wasn't really what I wanted it to be until my senior year, when we became a family of girls who love singing. I found myself in this group and was able to perform more than I ever deemed imaginable for me, being a very quiet, reserved person. I have these girls to thank for that. And drama club was a lot of stress but I made a lot of friends through it. We didn't do the best shows and I was never cast as a huge part, but the experience was entirely worthwhile and I had a great time being part of every production.

3. Having the opportunity to take more classes than I can now allowed me to discover different things.

While I can definitely say I am not a science or math person, I enjoyed being able to take classes in every core subject but still have room to do some electives. I wish I had listened to my friends who begged me to take Theatre Arts but I was afraid to embarrass myself because I'm probably not as great as they are. But the point in a class is to learn, and I have figured that out now, so I wish I had the chance to go back and do it again. I do have a chance to take a variety of classes here but there isn't as much room to discover everything.

4. I was able to go to school for 6 hours and then go back home once the day was over.

Probably the thing I miss the most is being able to go home after school ended. I would see my parents and my sister and talk about my day with them. I felt a lot more comfortable after classes ended knowing that I would be going home and retreating to my room after a long day. Now I do have a room after my classes are over, but I'm still on campus and it's not the same FaceTiming my family. I also can't ask my home friends to hang out because they're either still at home or scattered across the country at college. and none of them are that close in distance to me.

5. I knew most of the people I went to school with, which was oddly comforting.

Albeit I didn't really meet (or like) most of them, but it was nice to have a name to every face. It feels weird sitting in a classroom with a professor who will probably never know my name, and working in class with people who are strangers to me. I was content knowing everyone's name and a little bit about them in high school. I won't get to know everyone now, and so it's kind of hard to navigate through the campus day to day.

Overall. I know that I've moved on from my days in grade school and I am an adult now, but I still have a bit of a longing for that familiar feeling. I hope over time some of it comes back to me. And for those friends of mine who are going to graduate this year: Enjoy your last few months of POBJFK for me. Don't rush it, because it will be over before you even have a chance to say goodbye.