They say that high school is supposed to be the best four years of our lives. But how can that be, when every day we wake up before the sun and finish our piles of homework after dark? The truth is, high school is just the first taste of the rest of our lives. In a way, I guess that can be both good and bad.

Some people are lucky, getting straight A's without trying, easing into friend groups, never having to experience the shame of eating alone. In this case, they have high school wrapped around their fingers. They can glide on through the four years with ease.

But if you're like me, high school isn't that easy. Tears have been shed as a single letter grade threatens to determine the success of my future. Friends have become enemies, and more times than once, the bathroom has been a substitute cafeteria. Don't even get me started on the standardized testing that compares me to my 2,000 peers.

The difference between these kinds of people is how impactful high school will be. For the straight A kids that never worked for their grades, college will be a wake-up call. It won't be possible for them to just glide on through without trying. Instead, they will scramble to figure out how to get by. The kids that worked hard for everything they did, even if high school got the better of them sometimes, will be way better off. They already know how to work hard for what they want. They know how to stand back up when life pushes them down.

High school probably won't be the best four years of our lives. But if you remember the important things, it might end up being just that.

I'm only a junior in high school, so I still have some time left to make the most of it. The most important thing I have learned in the past three years is that a single letter doesn't define you. It doesn't matter if you get a C in Geometry freshman year. It is still just a letter. You still have the rest of your life ahead of you. So, the next time you are at home sulking about the D you got on your chemistry test, remember that 10 years from now, you will be exactly where you are meant to end up.

High school is a lesson, teaching young adults to manage their stress and deal with anxiety. The trick to making high school the best four years of your life? Remember to be happy, and know that everything happens for a reason.