Ah, high school. It was in that building where I was forced to read Shakespeare, where I crammed homework during home room, and where I stressed over Physics and AP Chemistry—yeah, I do not miss it. Now do not get me wrong. My high school experience was overall very positive, and a lot of the friends I made there I still associate with today (or I have added them on Snapchat, whatever). Even so, if Stewie Griffin lent me his time machine, would I travel back to senior year? NO! From my viewpoint, I find college to be a hundred times better than those juvenile high school days. Here are 5 things I do not miss about those socially awkward four years:
1. The PETTINESS
Sing it with me: P-E to the T-T-Y. Tell me, whose brilliant idea was it to squish hundreds of teenagers with raging hormones together in the same institution?
Whether it was boyfriend/girlfriend drama, friend drama, or both, there was always, always some pointless hullabaloo occurring in the classroom, in the hallway, and at the gazeebo in the courtyard, for goodness’s sake. To make matters more trivial, some of us high schoolers were incapable of squashing our beef privately. No, we had to involve everyone we knew in the situation, consequently blowing things way out of proportion. Immaturity was at an all-time high.
2. The LUDICROUS Rules
The good often suffered for the bad. Remember those peers who used “going to the bathroom” as an excuse to roam the hallways and the teachers made the bathroom rules stricter as a result? Yep, I resented them, too. How about the pain you felt when you were scheduled a different lunch period than all of your friends? It was terrible, was it not?
That is what I love about college. I can go to the bathroom without a “pass” and catch lunch whenever I please. I can also commute to class to class blasting Usher through my eardrums without worrying about a faculty member trying to confiscate my headphones. Freedom tastes good.
3. The DRESS CODES
To this day I still wear my shirt tucked in my pants. It is a shame, really. As soon as I stepped off the bus in the morning, there was an administrator standing on the front porch reminding us to tuck in our shirts, to take our hoods off our heads, and to make sure our IDs were around our necks.
Ugh.
Never again will you catch me in a school uniform. I suffered twelve years of plaid skirts and mesh book bags. I am not going back.
4. The FOOD
Chocolate milk and pizza do not mix, do you hear me?
Although the Shepard’s pie was a godsend, I will take the food offered at college over that of high school anytime. Particularly at Southeastern, our union has Mooyah (the best place on Earth, to be honest), Chick-fil-A, and Popeye’s. All of my faves! When you dine in the cafeteria, you are not limited to a measly slice of pizza and a couple of soggy, crinkle-cut fries like high school.
Of course university meal plans cost a heck a lot more than that $1.75 you used to pay in high school, and there is no such thing as free lunch. At least there is no Mystery Meat Monday, right?
5. The ANNOYING Classmates
The best part about high school graduation is the comfort that you will never have to see some of your classmates again. You know the types of peers I am talking about. I mean the bullies, the know-it-alls who rush you as you copy down notes from the PowerPoint slides, and the troublemakers who purposefully irritate the teacher as to gain attention and thus, take time away from actual learning.
Listen, I am not saying I did not get along with my classmates. A lot of them I liked, but I do not miss sharing a classroom with the bothersome ones. That is all.
I have a great deal of priceless memories from high school. The majesty I felt on the night of my senior prom and the amount of fun I experienced during my senior trip to Florida are moments I will never forget. Nevertheless, after two and a half years of college, I have matured and learned so much, and I have come to discover that I enjoy my time at Southeastern a lot more than my time in high school.
My intention is not to act holier than thou like I was never a Petty Betty or teacher’s pet when I was a teenager, which is precisely why I sometimes rekindle who I was in high school and cringe. Adulthood and college is not always easy, but I have grown accustomed to this life, and I love it a lot more.
