Being an alumnus of an all girl Catholic high school is definitely something that makes me stand out compared to others. My high school experience helped to shape the person I am today. Attending an all girl Catholic high school had its ups and downs. Going to an all girl catholic high school was the best and worst thing to ever happen to me and here’s why.

For starters, the best thing about attending an all girl high school is the bond you form with your classmates. Your classmates are the girls that you will spend four years with, maybe even more if your friendships last after graduation. These girls become your sisters and you will experience all of high school together, both the good and the bad parts. In all girl schools, sisterhood is very strong. The friendships that are made are close-knit. At my high school, school-wide events were a huge thing. Whether it was singing The 12 Days of Christmas at the top of our lungs the day before winter break or Sports Night, all the girls came together as sisters. We supported each other through everything and there was love all around.

Although the bonds us girls form are strong, there is always gossip to come and tear them apart. Gossip can be a big issue at all girl high schools. Girls tend to gossip more than boys, so the gossip levels are sky high. A little bit of harmless drama never hurt anybody, but sometimes the drama gets out of hand. At my high school, there were girls who would constantly lie. Some girls were just downright mean and some were backstabbers. Also, at all girl schools, at least at my high school, word spread like wildfire. Secrets were not kept secret. Even the teachers would gossip! Although gossiping can be fun at times, it definitely can get crazy at all girl schools. For me personally, it got to the point where I had to make it a point in my head to hold back from gossiping. I was known to have a big mouth. So even though the drama sucked, it helped me to become a better person. It helped me to gossip to a minimum and keep secrets secret.

One of the best and worst things to come out of attending an all girl Catholic high school was my current view on religion. Having Catholicism pushed on me since the second grade took a toll on me. Throughout my life, I thought religion was annoying and I was not a fan of it. It was during high school that I became an atheist. I absolutely love being an atheist! It is so nice to finally attend a school where religion is not shoved down my throat. I honestly do not believe in any gods or any religion. It took a while for me to realize and accept it, but I am so glad that I finally do. However, it is sad to think that maybe if I had attended a public high school, my views on religion might be different. I know that having faith can be a comfort. It is sad that the comfort and happiness that comes with having faith was taken away from me because Catholicism was forced on me. Religion should be believed and loved, not forced.

One amazing thing that I got out of attending an all girl Catholic high school was my drive to be successful. At my high school, they pushed each and every student to do their absolute best academically. While some public high schools are said to be “easy” schools, my high school was definitely not easy. The classes were challenging and the teachers did an excellent job of preparing us girls for college. My college workload does not overwhelm me whatsoever because it is less than what I had in high school! It was in high school that I realized I needed to step up my game academically. Thanks to my high school, I am now a second year college student who loves school and embraces her inner nerd.

Another thing about attending an all girl high school that was both amazing and terrible was the lack of male students attending the school. It sucked because there were no cute boys anywhere in sight. But on a more serious note, it sucked because the environment was slightly uncomfortable. It is very rare that you are in a setting with tons of people and only one gender is present. I feel like my high school put me in an awkward, unrealistic setting. In reality, boys are everywhere. It is odd to just “avoid” them for 4 whole years. It would have been nice to be in a setting where I could have had a solid group of guy friends. However, the lack of boys was great because it helped me to focus on my academics. I have spent many college classes daydreaming about boys instead of listening to my professors. However, this was never an issue in high school. My grades were my priority and my main focus. Also, the beauty of attending an all girl high school was that I got to keep my innocence all throughout high school. I was not sexually active by any means during my high school career and I would not have it any other way. Innocence is a beautiful thing and I know that if I attended a co-ed high school, I may have lost that innocence at an earlier age.

My high school taught me to always work my hardest and try to succeed in everything that I do. It was through my high school that I made some of my closest friends. It was through the hard work that I did in high school that allowed me to attend the college of my dreams. My high school experience was interesting to say the least and I wouldn’t change a thing. So while us Catholic schoolgirls might be slightly insane, we are all hard-working women who are going to change the future.