If you ask people about their high school experiences, they'll either say it was fantastic or it was horrible. However, everyone has something that made it worth going to whether it was a teacher, class, club, or sport.

Everyone has their niche in high school. You have the band geeks, the jocks, the yearbook kids, ROTC cadets, artists, engineers, and the smart kids. But almost everyone has the same goal in mind: graduating.

From trying to navigate the school during freshman year to taking honors and AP classes sophomore year, to college tours, SAT and ACT testing, to applying to college and trying to get as many scholarships and grants as you can, high school only gets harder. No one wants to stay in high school forever, but while you're there, remember this.

1. Like I said, it only gets harder.

High school prepares you for the future, or at least it tries to. Not everyone will take the same path and you will almost never end up where you thought you would freshman year. No matter which way you go, it only gets harder from here.

2. Going to pep rallies and having school spirit IS cool.

I can't express this enough. If you don't have school spirit because you think it's uncool, I'm here to tell you that you're wrong. In fact, most of the "cool kids" were the loudest cheerleaders or the half-painted supporters in the student section.

3. All of your high school years matter academically.

Including freshman year. In fact, freshman year might be the most important when it comes to GPA. Unless you get all A's in your honors and AP classes the rest of high school, it's extremely hard to get your GPA from a 1.4 to a 4.0. Take honors and AP classes. Most of the time, there isn't a huge difference between honors and regular.

Take advantage of extra credit and bonus point opportunities as well. They'll do you nothing but good in the end.

4. Be yourself no matter what.

Learning to not care about what others think is probably the most important lesson you will ever learn. It will reduce so much stress and increase your self-love and esteem. Embrace who you are! Don't be afraid to show your true colors.

If a "friend" doesn't like who you are, they were never your friend. You'll never be able to make everyone happy, so at least make yourself happy. Remember, you're living this life, no one else.

5. Don't get involved in the drama.

My friend circle went from planet earth to the end of an eraser by the end of my senior year. There's nothing wrong with that. Sometimes your selection of classes is different from your friends and you just lose touch throughout the years.

But sometimes it's better to cut friends off. You don't have to hate them after, but hanging out less and less with the toxic people goes a long way. The drama won't matter in college anyways.

6. Have fun, enjoy life, but organize your time.

Learning time management was one of the most important lessons I've ever learned. I learned it in high school when I got a job and joined more clubs. The more you organize your time, the more time you'll have for the things you enjoy. You'll realize you have more time to socialize than you thought.

Get the stuff you need to get done first, then the stuff you want to get done. If you get your "needs" out of the way first, you'll feel more relaxed when you're watching Netflix or talking to your friends.

7. Apply early

For college, scholarships, grants, everything. Sometimes if you apply early, you'll have a better chance of getting it. And procrastinating just adds on to the stress. Deadlines approach faster than you think.

8. Do things

Get involved. Join clubs, teams, anything you can use to build your scholarship and college resume. Get involved in your community. Volunteer hours will help you immensely in the future and they look good on your resume.

9. Take care of yourself.

Not everything is worth stressing over. You can always ask for extra credit and help on an assignment. If it costs your peace, it costs too much.

10. Realize YOUR potential.

You don't need a significant other to tell you you're pretty or amazing. You're amazing all by yourself. You look great all by yourself. It's okay if you don't have his or her looks or brains or personality because you have something they don't, even if you don't know what it is yet.

High school doesn't have to be stressful, but it won't always be rainbows and butterflies. Just keep pushing through and you'll be walking across the stage before you know it.