Just a week or two ago, we were sitting in our caps and gowns, waiting to hear our names be called so we could finally walk across the stage. While sitting there, all we could think was "This is it. I've finally made it. Time to enter the real world... am I ready for the real world?"

Then, the mode of panic sets in, especially when you think about leaving your friends and family behind, or realizing you finally have to start paying bills and even get your own medical insurance. You start to miss the simplicity of high school.

I, however, rejoice.

Don't get me wrong, it's been a great four years, but there's a lot of things I won't miss about high school: 10 to be exact.

1. Waking up before the sun rises.

I'm not sure about you, but I love to sleep. If I know that I have to wake up early the next morning, I completely dread the whole entire day. One thing I won't miss about high school is having to wake up before the sun even rises. Driving to school in the dark almost made me feel like I was up in the middle of the night, meaning it was time to sleep and not time to go to school.

2. Some of the people.

Throughout my four years, I've met some great people ... but I've also met some bad people. All high school was for me was drama. Someone said one thing, then it got translated to something completely different. It's kind of like that game Telephone, where you whisper one thing in someones ear and it gets back to you as something completely different. Not to mention, you had those people who didn't like you for absolutely no reason whatsoever. But, that's just part of the experience, I guess. (A part that I won't miss!)

3. Following a dress code.

Now, there is a reason for dress codes, obviously, but some of the restrictions go way too far. If I want to take my sweater off because the school has no AC, I should be allowed. I shouldn't be forced to sit in smothering heat, to the point where I get sick, just because they're concerned about my shoulders. Not to mention, having such a strict dress code takes the privilege of personal creativity away. A lot of people express themselves through their clothing, but are restricted due to the silly guidelines that the school has in place. #freetheshoulderfreethemind

4. The food.

Now, I love the women who are my school's lunch ladies, and we all know that it's not their fault that the food is so bad. If there is anything that I'll miss about high school, it's definitely them. However, I will not miss the food that they had to make, mostly because it tastes like cardboard and looks like it could come alive any second.

5. Feeling as if I don't fit in.

Most people would admit that their high school years were some of the darkest times of their life. Through high school, you're constantly trying to figure yourself and the world out, but get judged by everyone in your class in the process. It's ironic, though, because they're usually doing the same thing at this time. In college, at least you'll be surrounded by new opportunities and people, which will help you realize that high school, thankfully, doesn't last forever.

6. Lockers.

Having your own little place to keep your stuff at school is great until everyone gets in your way. Most times, whenever I would go to my locker, I would constantly be pushed out of the way by the people owning the surrounding lockers or their friends. When they finally would let me into my locker, I would have to put the combination in multiple times because I either couldn't remember or I was just simply going to fast. Then, the bell would ring, I would be late and have to get a lecture from my teacher and sometimes even a detention ... all because people were in my way. Not to mention, I won't miss cleaning my locker out each year!

7. Gym Class.

Gym class has to be the ultimate joke in high school. You absolutely have to take it, while in reality, you do nothing in the class. I will not miss having to take the time to change into different clothes only to sit on the bleachers or watch other people shoot hoops. I will also not miss having to go outside and sit with all of the bugs in the smothering heat. Why do we have to be tortured with gym classes?

8. Required parent signatures.

I am not sure how many times I have either skipped a trip because I forgot my to have my mom sign my paper, or how many times I have wrote her name so I could go on the trip. I know that the school is just trying to keep us safe, but sometimes it's excessive. There is no reason that my parents should have to sign one permission slip five or six times. Half the time, my mom would forget to sign all of the places she was suppose to because there were so many.

9. Standardized tests.

All throughout my four years of school, I would hear "You have to pass this test to graduate." Why? Why does a test define me? I wish that I could have had a high school education that was not completely focused around one specific test. I feel like due to this, I didn't learn all that I was suppose to in high school, and now I never will. But, if I did learn one thing, it's that a state test score doesn't determine if I'm a life failure or not.

10. The small campus.

My high school was/is extremely small. Walking from one class to another is about a two-second trip, almost making me feel like I'm in jail. I was tired of seeing the same places and faces each day, so I will not miss the smallness of my school. Yet, the size of my school is not the only smallness I am talking about. Many people I went to school with are small minded. They somehow only care about themselves, even if that means that they are negatively affecting others. They also believe that their opinions are the truth, which makes them view everyone else's ideas as wrong. I am more than ready to branch out and start experiencing things much bigger.

So, although I have had a great four years in high school, I am ready for something new. I'm not exactly sure if I'm ready to leave my family behind or everything I know. I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to handle life as a college student, with all the stress that school work and money will bring. But if there's one thing I'm definitely sure about leaving behind, it's all these bad things that I won't miss about high school.