When I tell people you went to an all-girls high school I usually get looks of sympathy, disbelief, and even the occasional “Oof that’s rough”. For a while, I was one of those people who did a combination of all three. That is until I started attending an all-girls high school myself. Every single preconceived idea of what it would be like going to an all-girls school was turned on its head.

1. I thought I wouldn’t make it without boys

One of the first things people ask me about my experience is, “Didn’t you miss the boys?” I can tell you with complete honesty that no, I did not. Not at one point did I ever think, “God, you know what this school needs? A boy.” This is mainly because I was one of those girls who constantly worried what people, especially guys, thought of me.

And when boys were taken out of the picture, I let my guard down and became more comfortable in my own skin. I didn’t worry as much about how I looked because there was no one to impress. Instead, I dressed up and put on makeup for myself. I wasn’t intimidated by loud boys who always seemed like they knew the answer to everything in class. Instead, I became someone who wasn’t afraid to raise her hand and speak her mind in front of a class. My high school gave me space where I could find my voice and myself.

2. I thought I wouldn’t make any real friends

When you ask someone about what they associated with teenage girls, most people would respond with endless drama, cliques, and people just like the characters in "Mean Girls." Again, same. But that’s what I get for using media as a reference. In reality, the girls I met in high school were the most genuine people I have ever encountered. With the girls at my school, what you saw was what you got and it was your decision to like it or not.

The drama that I thought would come from popularity contests and cliques were immediately myth busted. This helped me to find a group of people I actually clicked with. I believe the friends I made at my high school are going to be the ones I have forever, and if we had gone to any other school sometimes I feel like I would have been too self-conscious to say, “Hi! I’m Ezra! I also prefer the Harry Potter books over the movies.”

3. I thought I would miss out

Growing up, I had a clear picture of high school in my head. I thought of going to house parties on the weekends and cheering on my football team. I even imagined going to prom where I would be crowned prom queen and slow dance with my boyfriend, Troy Bolton.

I never got any of those things, though, and you’d think that I would’ve learned to stop trying to compare real life to movies. What I did get was a totally different, unique experience that was made possible by going to an all-girls school. Instead of the classic house party, I had a Wii game night at a friend’s house.

The football team was replaced with the student art showcase my school would put on. Sure I never had a typical, all American high school experience, but I did have something I wouldn’t trade for anything else. I did win prom queen though!

4. It wouldn’t make an impact me

Going to an all girls high school not only changed the way I looked at myself but also how I saw the world. My school’s motto was, “Educating young women to make a difference” and I was educated every day of my life there. What I learned went past what I learned from lesson plans. I was surrounded by people from so many different backgrounds who shared their experiences with me.

I became aware of my own struggles with racism, sexuality, and mental health because of the people I was able to learn from. Feminism, of course, played a huge part in my experience there. I mean, this was a school where I could ask anyone out loud if they had a tampon or a pad on them. In middle school, leaving the room to change a pad was like a stealth mission. I remember having to tuck my pad into my sweatshirt in the most inconspicuous ways possible, making sure it didn’t make a sound. In high school, I walked down the hall parading that crinkly green square to the bathroom.

Once, posters were hung up around the school with the words, “I am a FEMINIST because…” printed on them followed by real reasons from students and teachers written in. That really made an impression on me as a freshman because I couldn’t think of any other school I would see something like that.

So when people try to show me sympathy I look at them straight in the eyes and say thanks, but no thanks. Going to a school with all girls changed me and made me into the person I am today: a confident, empowered woman ready to take on anything.