High school was good and bad. I made some great friends, have some pretty awesome memories, and learned a lot. Now that I'm in college and away from my hometown friends, I often find myself reminiscing about high school, both the good and the bad, so I decided to compile a list of what I do and don't miss from high school.
What I Miss
1. My Best Friends
I've made some great friends in college, but I miss my best friends so much. I went from seeing and talking to them every day to seeing them every couple of weeks and talking to them every couple of days. I miss spending our weekends together driving around aimlessly only to end up at someone's house for a movie night.
2. After School Activities
My college has a lot of different clubs and organizations which I have joined, but I miss the activities I did in high school. Most of my week, besides school, was consumed by dance, work, and other after school activities. I miss spending my Saturdays at the dance studio and my nights working.
3. Living at Home
I miss everything that comes with home: home cooked meals, my bed, a private bathroom, my cat, and seeing my parents every day. I love living in a dorm so close to my friends, but I'm such a homebody. Every day after high school I would drive home and hang out with my dad after he got home from work, and that was the best part of my day. Now, I get out of class and go to my dorm or the library. I miss family dinners with my parents, hanging out with my Yiayia, and my mom waking me up in the morning before she goes to work.
4. Teachers
I love the professors I've had so far in college, but I miss my favorite teachers from high school terribly. Seeing my homeroom teacher smiling at eight in the morning helped me get through the long day ahead of me and knowing that I had my English class last with a really funny teacher made my day go by faster.
5. My Hometown
I miss my hometown so much. Going to school so close to NYC has its advantages but I miss being in a familiar place and knowing where everything is. I miss driving myself places and the familiar sights and sounds of my town.
What I Don't Miss
1. Uniforms
I wore a uniform from first grade until I graduated high school, so I definitely do not miss them. I wore a jumper in elementary school, a plaid skirt in middle school, and khaki pants in high school, so being able to wear whatever I want every day is great.
2. Parking
Parking at my high school was terrible. I lived five minutes away from school but had to get there an hour before first bell just to get a good parking spot. I also couldn't leave after school right away because other students parked so close to my car so I had to wait for them to leave before I could head home. I hate not having a car in college but I'm very happy that I don't have to fight for a parking spot every morning.
3. Cafeteria Food
The food at my college isn't any better, but the food at my high school was terrible and expensive. I remember cleaning out my backpack and lockers just to find loose change so I could buy a burnt hamburger or "salad" that was dirty lettuce thrown in a styrofoam bowl. The last two weeks of the school year, the cafeteria only served pizza they bought from down the street. I definitely do not miss my high school's cafeteria food.
4. Stupid Rules and Policies
My high school had the stupidest rules, and a lot of them concerned the dress code. If your khaki pants were long you couldn't roll them up, you had to have a certain shade of khaki or it was against school policy, and you weren't allowed to wear scarves or open toed shoes, even in the spring. And if you got in trouble for being out of dress code, you would most likely get detention, depending on the teacher.
