As much as you may think high school is like what you seen in the movies…it’s not.

A lot of people have the misconception that high school will be the best four years of your life, and although it may be for some, it rarely is..it definitely wasn’t for me.

That isn’t meant to scare you, there are definitely some amazing parts of high school, but  there’s so much more than these four years and if you’re anything like me…when you’re stuck in a classroom for 50 minutes watching a movie and you know you could be doing something so much more productive…remember it’s only four years, that’s barely 5% of your life if you live to be 80.

First, teachers are going to give you work, but their intentions are ALWAYS good. Do not be afraid to ask for help, that is their job. Most teachers want to see you succeed, care about you and would do anything to help you…at least at Liberty. I’ve maybe encountered one teacher my entire four years that didn’t care.

Know the classes that you are signing up to take. For me, I took a total of 12 AP classes during my high school and although I made it through, it was not easy ESPECIALLY on top of trying to work 40 hours a week my senior year.

AP classes are called AP classes for a reason…they are hard and it’s a lot of work. I’m not saying to not take any and make it out to be worse than it really is, but my point is you have to know how much you can handle. Not taking every AP class does not make you dumb either.

Joining clubs is a must. You are going to get told to join clubs and activities to help build your college resume, and although that’s a good reason don’t make that the sole purpose of joining one. Join them to meet new people and see what your interests are.

Take care of yourself. High school will be exhausting and stressful at times. School is important and so is getting good grades, but you also have to take care of yourself and your mental health (although some teachers I know are against this and think we have it easy..it’s okay to take a mental health day every once in a while).

When people tell you that the four years will fly by, you don’t believe them. I know that I didn’t…but it’s true. Before you know it it’s your last first day. Your last high school sports game. You get the front row of the student section. Your last winter break where from now on the conversations will be “How have you been?” and “I missed you.” The last day of school.

Graduation day…the last time you will talk to 90% of the people you know. You’re all wandering around in navy robes and hats. You know as you accept that piece of paper you’ve worked 13 years for…never again.

So make the best of the four years you have. It’s going to be a rollercoaster and you will hit some bumps along the way, but I can tell you from experience that most of those “bumps” you won’t even remember because it goes by so fast.