Recently, someone from my high school posted something along the lines of, “I miss high school and wish I could go back,” and for some reason, I just couldn’t understand it. High school was not the greatest time. Now don’t get me wrong, I didn’t have a horrible high school experience. In fact, I was a one of the top five students, had a great group of friends, participated in a bunch of different activities and enjoyed my time there overall. But it wasn’t until I left high school that I understood how much I was missing out on.
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
College has helped me appreciate what life can be like. When I was in high school, I didn’t have a clear view of the world. I had been hanging out with the same people since elementary school and therefore I wasn’t exposed to a broad range of world experiences. I lived in a bubble, following the same routine every day (I can still picture my schedule and exhaustion), never going out to explore the world.
This is why I love college. I get pushed to do things I never thought I’d want to do, I gain world experiences and I meet people who push and teach me things every day.
I think what has made my experience even better is the fact that I go to a historically all-women’s college. In high school, I never would have imagined going to a school like Bryn Mawr. But since attending, I’ve realized that Bryn Mawr has given me a safe space to learn and grow. Everyone here encourages each other. I don’t think I’ve ever felt unsafe on this campus, and that’s because this environment was created upon the idea of allowing each student to grow in their own way and to feel protected by a sense of sisterhood with their fellow students. I never had that in high school. I never had that feeling of community. That feeling of, wow I belong in this place. After seeing that aforementioned post, I was confused. I couldn’t understand why it bothered me so much, up until now: because I wouldn’t give up what I have now for anything, and there’s no way I could go back.