To my friends who have yet to complete their high school years,
How are you all? I think of you every single day, text you when I can, and frequently wonder how you are doing and what has been going on in your lives. Since arriving at college, my life has been filled with an endless supply of new acquaintances, friends, and opportunities, and I figured that I would compose a letter to y’all.
The following sentence is most certainly the most cliche statement ever, but here it is: college is going to come with a variety of new changes. For the first time, you’ll be on your own, and will be responsible for your own physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Don’t run yourself into the ground! Know your limits. Eat (reasonably) healthy. Surround yourself with people who uplift you. Stay grounded in your morals and beliefs. Besides self-care, academics are high on the list of importance- you’ll actually be able to study a much wider variety of topics that you genuinely care about! Some of you have firm ideas as to what you want to major in, others are still trying to figure it out. Either is okay! You’ll have the freedom to sort through a wide variety of classes (even within your gen ed requirements), thus allowing you leeway to select subjects that either suit your academic strengths, or simply intrigue you. Take advantage of this by sitting down to truly scan your potential options, and read about what might interest you. As you’re selecting classes, plot out what requirements you need to fulfill, and how you might begin to go about it. If it is too overwhelming, your advisor can meet with you to discuss any issues and concerns.
You are about to embark on a journey in which you will learn more about yourself than ever before. You will meet people of different backgrounds, who come from towns you did not know existed, and who are into a wide variety of hobbies and interests. One of my friends here has a wide variety of hobbies and interests that range from skiing, to figure skating, to hockey, acting, musicals, sign language, and more. Besides your friends, you might also find yourself making discoveries and creating theories about yourself and the world around you, as two other friends of mine did. This is a time of growth and change, meant to be embraced!
Organizational skills is key. It is likely that all of your assignments will be placed online ahead of time. With this source, procrastinating is super unnecessary. If you wait until the deadline to complete assignments, you will be way more stressed than anyone wants to be. Be on top of what you are doing! Use a calendar, a planner, or other alternative methods to effectively manage your schedule to ensure that you’re not biting off more than you can chew. If you are struggling, go to someone for advice- it could be an advisor, a teacher, a tutor, or even a fellow student. You’re not alone.
Finally, enjoy these precious few years before college. Granted, your experience in high school may not be as overwhelmingly positive as mine was, but look around at the teachers and friends in your life. The relationships and friendships that are formed at our tiny little school are filled with so much love, that leaving felt more like leaving a family than leaving an institution. Although I love my college, there’s a sense of wholesomeness at our high school that you’re not going to find anywhere else. I’m aware that I often sound sappy when I text you guys venting about how much I miss you, how much you mean to me, and how much I treasure the times I spend with you. But when I look back at the pictures and videos of us smiling, laughing, having fun, and tackling every day together, I’m reminded of what made my high school years so special. It was the late-night theatre tech weeks where we would all sing and perform together after locker room rituals, and hang out backstage and chat in our down time. It was the adventures and laughs of Voices, the 1 AM cast parties at Applebee’s where we were maniacally laughing with fatigue, the short car trips to the Lower School blasting Heathers and Dear Evan Hansen, the La Festa’s and Aroma’s runs, and the hours spent in the library. We are family. And even as you guys graduate and move on to beautiful futures you would have never thought possible, that is one thing that will never change.
-
Megan :)