What Was I Like In Highschool?

I knew since I was a freshman in highschool that I was going to take a different path than the traditional college route. I knew I didn’t have to worry about getting straight As or getting a perfect score on my SAT or ACT. So what kind of student did that make me?

I was a student that only studied things I was interested in. I enjoyed school. In fact, my school offered early release during my senior year, meaning I could go home hours early if I wanted to, but I chose to take more classes I was interested. I was thinking, this is the last time I’ll have a free traditional education, why not take classes I was curious about.

I took classes like German, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, AP Psychology, AP Microeconomics, Film and Multimedia and Webpage Design. I participated in class all the time. I had good relationships with almost all my teachers. I used to visit my freshman English teacher a few times a week up until I graduated. At the end of my senior year, I wrote all my teachers letters of appreciation.

I cared about what my teachers thought about me. Did they think I was smart, honest, and creative? Did they feel like I was respectful of them? Would they write me a recommendation someday if I needed it?

I never cheated on assignments or tests like the other kids, my grades weren’t that important to me. I wouldn’t fret over getting a D. To me, it just meant I wasn’t interested in that subject. School really couldn’t stress me out too much.

I didn’t study very often, I just listened and asked questions during lectures. I usually made pretty good grades. I graduated with a 3.87 GPA.

As for my social status, I was nominated for class clown. Plenty of people didn’t understand me, but those who did thought I was hilarious and smart. I didn’t really fit into a certain ‘clique’ so I kinda wandered around from friend group to friend group.

For the most part, I enjoyed high school. I was lucky to go to a school with so many subjects to learn about. I was lucky to have such good teachers. Just because I don’t believe in the structure of school, doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. I had no choice but to go to high school, I might as well make it work for me.

I wish more of my peers approached their education with curiosity instead of feeling like they are forced to learn because their parents are telling them to get straight As. At the end of the day, it’s important to think about what’s truly important to you.