You know the saying, "You never appreciate what you have until it's gone?" That's how 19-year-old me feels about going to private school my whole childhood. 12-year-old me had a different opinion...

The day my dad told me I was going to be going to a former military school for middle/high school was the day I thought my life was over. A military school? There's no way I'd fit in, or even make any friends. And having to wear a uniform again? (I thought preschool through fifth grade was bad enough.)

Starting Linsly was rough. The curriculum was rigorous, the homework was hard, and the teachers expected nothing but your best. And I can't tell you how much that has paid off.

(via: www.linsly.org)

Going to Linsly, a 200-year-old college preparatory school, was the best decision I (actually my dad) could've made. And here's a few reasons why:

1. Respect.

Linsly taught me to respect not only my teachers and professors, but my classmates as well. They taught me respect is earned, not given. Most important, they taught self-respect, something that I see a lot of people lacking now a days.

2. Time Management.

I learned in the sixth grade that I couldn't wait until the night before to study for an exam. (Although I still tried...and failed.) If I wanted to succeed, then I had to prepare. The best grades I've ever received came from hours of hard work – not minutes of memorization. If I wanted to go to the Central vs. Linsly game (the biggest rivalry EVER), I knew I had to study for Doc's Zoology exam before I could go.

(via: www.linsly.org)

3. Perseverence.

Linsly's founding motto was, 'Forward and No Retreat,' and that's something I take with me to this day wherever I go. Maybe it's my ego and pride, or maybe it was the way I was taught, but I have a hard time giving up. In my freshman year of college, I had the worst class with the worst professor, and I wanted to drop it so badly. So many times I called my dad crying, saying I couldn't finish. He told me to stick it out, and remember what Linsly taught me. (I did, and I finished the class with a B!)

I mean this with all my heart when I say I would not have been able to finish freshman year of college had I not gone to a private school. My high school education made going from senior year to college one easy step instead of a giant leap. Because of school's like Linsly, I was able to manage my time well enough to work all week, and then go out all weekend, and still manage to get a 4.0 in my first semester. I never realized the methods behind Linsly's teaching until I was on my own at college, with no one telling me to do my homework or study for my finals. (I learned early on, through my ninth grade World History teacher, that no one would hold my hand through life.)

Although I'd take college over high school any day, I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss Linsly a little bit (ok, maybe a lot). The day I thought my life was over was the day it actually began. Thank you, Linsly.