When I entered high school, I felt that I had a concrete idea of what it would be like; just like middle school, but harder academically. Needless to say, I was wrong. So, over a year after my graduation from high school, I thought that I would reflect on this.

First, I want to address the statement I heard from adults constantly during my time in high school: "We were young once, you know. We know exactly what it's like and what you're dealing with." Yes, we students knew that we weren't the only people that had their fair share of drama and trying times. Everyone has bad days, no matter what. Still, it would upset me when adults felt the need to undermine these things by explaining that yes, they went to high school too, and they dealt with it just fine; they "get it," as they said. A large number of faculty repeated this phrase verbatim constantly to get the point across. If they were able to excel in school despite stress, why should it be so hard for us to do? What the previous generation does not understand about the present generation, in my opinion, is the addition of the new and seemingly infinite source of stress in high school known as social media. Gossip takes on a new meaning through social media as everything, and I mean everything is on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, you name it. Now, school doesn't end when you walk out the door. It follows you home, pops up in text messages, and is plastered all over your iPhone.

Secondly, I was told that whereas other schools were more cliquey and divided, ours was united and welcoming in every way. Over the next four years, I came to realize that this statement was false, no matter what school says it. With a large group of teenagers, there is bound to be some type of discord and disconnect. Some people's personalities just don't mesh well, while others' fit together perfectly. I personally did not need to be friends with every single person in my graduating class to feel accepted; I found I was much more comfortable in a small group of very close friends, and I would not trade my experiences with them for anything.

Finally, we students heard reiterated the same phrase over and over for four years: we have to have a concrete plan of the career path we want to follow for the rest of our lives, and we need to have it now. The fact is, no one can predict the future. No one can know that their idea of a fulfilling career will stay solid throughout high school and college without any sort of deviation. Not only is it okay to change your mind, it is a part of growing up. I myself went into college with my mind set on becoming a psychologist, only to change my major to a Communications and English double-major just two months later.

I do not want this article to come across as a slight to my high-school years. For the record, I learned many truths from high school, whether or not they were intentional. I learned to expect the unexpected, that nothing in this world comes without a combination of hard work and passion, and that love can come from anywhere, whether romantically or as a deep friendship. I learned to take things as they came, to keep moving no matter what, and how to find God in tragedy and happiness in the eye of the storm.

Whether true or false, I don't think I will forget the things high school told me anytime soon.