Dear High School Freshman,

High school can be the best or the worst four years of your life, but either way, they go by very quickly. I remember walking into high school my first day as a freshman, nervous to meet new people and if I would be able to find my first class before the bell rang. It seemed like it was taking forever and I often wished I would have been graduated already. However, Before I knew it, I was walking out the doors a senior, very thankful that I never had to go back. Now I look back and wish I had done a few things differently, taken more risks, and possibly tried a little harder at my classes.

Whether it's your first day or you're almost done with the school year it's never too late to meet someone new. You may not like everyone, or anyone, at your school; however, if you give people a chance and talk to other people, you'd be surprised how many are actually pretty cool and you could make a lot more friends. I was pretty shy for most of high school and wish I had gone more out of my comfort zone to hang out with more people outside of my friend group.

I skipped most of the school dances at my high school. This was a combination of not having anyone to go with, or not liking anyone who was going. Let's be real though, high school dances aren't that cool, but you only get a few of them. Go to as many as you can and if you don't go at least hang out with some friends or do something. One year my friends and I threw an anti-homecoming party and had tons more fun than we would have had at the dance. No matter what you do, try not to sit at home alone. You will most likely regret it later.

Classes like Chemistry are stupid. Unless you are going into a field that you needs it, you will literally never use it for the rest of your life. That doesn't mean you should slack off though. Working hard on classes will help you gain an amazing work ethic, which will help you a lot in the future. Unless you actually have something better to do with your time, not playing video games, work hard on your classes. Your grades might not matter to you but being able to work hard at something will be invaluable in the future.

Do not stress too hard about your future. Some people will know what they want to do with their lives on their first day of high school. Most will decide senior year, but even when the pressure is on to decide, you don't have to. I am almost done with my first year of college and I'm not even exactly sure what I want to do. There are tons of opportunities out there as long as you can work hard. Take your time in high school to experiment with as many things as possible and find things you like to do. They may just turn to hobbies or cool stories but you might just find what you want to do for the rest of your life.

Sincerely,

A College Freshman