High school years are hard for everyone. Your body is changing, teenagers can be mean (especially girls), and all you want to do it is fit in. In my experience, I really didn't let my true self come to light until after I left the dreaded halls of Warren County High School. Nothing against the school as a whole, but my graduating class wasn't the kindest humans I've ever gotten to know. I was hard on my self image, tried to fit in to a crowd who wasn't even that important, and really didn't know how to to present myself. Perhaps all of you readers can relate to my unfortunate high school experience. If you do, we are all in this together. Look at us now. Killing the college game and leaving the horrible high school memories behind us. Here are just a few tips that I wish I could tell my 16-year-old self.
1. Eat that donut and don't even think twice.
Not only was I concerned about how I looked in front of my high school peers, but I was also competing in pageants. I competed in the Miss America Organization for about three or four years. When I competed in the teen category, I had so much fun with it. I didn't have to compete in the swim suit competition until I started competing in the miss age division. After a few of the first pageants that year, my self-esteem started to get severely damaged. I was told by the judges that I really did need to lose more weight in my legs and hips. Did they realize that I was eating only fish, grilled chicken, and vegetables? That I was working out as much as my body and schedule would allow? No, all they saw was a girl on stage in a swim suit and heels who still might jiggle a little bit. So you know what 16-year-old Kelsey? Eat that donut and don't think twice.
2. Stop trying to impress the so called cool Kids.
I moved to a small town my 8th grade year, so I never really fit in with the in crowd. Everyone already had their friends and didn't really need another addition. Plus, I'm not the coolest cat around. People never really were that nice to me throughout high school. All I wanted to do was hang out with the cool crowd and get to go to the fun parties. I would watch as my older sister did that, and I wanted nothing more. Why would I want to hang out with the kids who would peak in high school? High Schooler Kelsey you can do so much better than that!
I wish I knew at the time that I would attend the University of Tennessee and get into the amazing sisterhood of Delta Gamma. Never in my life did I ever think I would have the friends that I do today. I have never felt so supported. I won't get all mushy-gushy about Delta Gamma, but lets just say I will never go back to trying to impress the kids who don't matter. All I care about is being there for my friends and actually being able to be my full clumsy and awkward self.
3. Actually try in school to get scholarships.
I never had to study in high school. I just showed up to class, answered a few questions, and went home. My teachers never really taught us how to study either. Boy, college was a wake up call. If only I applied myself in high school, I wouldn't have struggled so much my freshman year. I would also have more scholarships and not be in debt for the rest of my life with student loans.
My senior year of high school, I took two dual classes at the small community college that was in town. I told myself that would really help me when I started college. I would know the pace that professors taught and how hard exams would be. Though it was more difficult than my high school courses, it wasn't as near as hard as the courses at Tennessee. Those classes were super laid back, slow paced, and sort of a joke.
RIP to my grade point average after freshman year of college.
4. That boy isn't worth the tears, girlfriend.
To my high school ex-boyfriends, I sincerely apologize. High school obviously wasn't my best years, and all I tried to do was impress people. That also included the boys. All I wanted to do was have someone who respected and worshiped me. How could I find someone to respect me when I didn't really respect myself? I've always been attracted to the mature type of guy, but you wouldn't be able to tell that from my history of boys in high school. Granted, high school boys aren't going to be mature. Duh.
If I got in a fight with my boyfriend at the time, I cried. If he didn't text me back in a timely manor, I cried. If he even talked to another girl at school, I cried and got mad at the girl, too. What was I thinking? High school boys are nothing to cry about. Sure, cry if they are mean to you or sincerely hurt your feelings in some sort of way, but otherwise they really aren't worth much.
5. Stop buying cheap makeup and caking it on.
This may be the biggest thing I want to tell my high school self. If you know me at all, you know that I am very skin and makeup oriented. I love my high-end foundation and liquid eye liner. Unfortunately, in high school I thought that I was being super cool if I bought a Walmart brand foundation and put two to three layers of it on my pimply skin. Did I not realize that was probably what was making my face a pizza? Come on Kels; you should be smarter than that. Did I even know about filling in your eye brows? About highlighting and contouring to give your face some definition? Illuminating my cheek bones to make myself flawless? Nope I did not.
My makeup routine was caking on foundation (previously mentioned), heavy blush, white sparkly eye shadow, pencil eye liner on the top AND bottom, and mascara. Fortunately though, after I really got in to pageants, I figured out that I was doing it completely wrong. My senior year of high school, I finally stepped it up and started my strong relationship with Ulta and Sephora.
Maybe high school years were supposed to be just as awkward and painful as the middle school years. I don't know the process of growing up, but I do know that I wish I could have given myself a little heads up with these five tips. It may have made those four years a lot more bearable.
