What I Would Tell My Younger Self

As a junior in college, I finally feel like I’m fully past the stage of petty high school drama. Let’s be honest, once you get to college, the high school drama you dealt with four years carries into freshman year of college- just with different people. After my freshman year of college, I transferred to a new school and the silly things I did to try and fit in during high school carried me as I tried to navigate my way through my new school. A year after transferring, I sit here a completely different person with some advice for my high-school self.

1. Don’t Worry About What Everyone Thinks

I’m not saying don’t worry about what anyone thinks, but rather than what everyone thinks. Those girls who you think are so popular and cool? They aren’t spending time thinking about you or talking about you. If you wore a few bad outfits here or there, chances are they don’t care enough to be talking about it. I can promise that they are talking about themselves and you’re not even a thought in their head. That time they say you trip and fall up the stairs? (Alright, that was multiple times but that’s not the point) They were over it a minute after it happened. Don’t worry about them because they aren’t worrying about what you do.

2. Get More Involved

Since starting college, I’ve been very involved in campus clubs and organizations as I’ve learned to become more confident in who I am and talking to and meeting new people. However, in high school I wasn’t very involved in school clubs and looking back now that’s something I would definitely change. Being involved in extra-curricular is not only a great way to do things that you love with your peers and something great to put on a resume, but it’s also a great way to meet new friends who share the same interests as you and diversify your friend group. Since transferring to Binghamton I’ve joined a sorority and held my first government position at the campus television station. Both of these things have given me great things to do with my free time on campus and new friendships!

3. Your best friends now, probably won’t be your best friends after Freshman year of college

Remember when you and your best friends vowed senior year that you guys would Skype every night in college, send each other letters and packages all the time, visit each other at school every month? While all of these promises were great, chances are you didn’t keep many if any of them and that’s okay. The business of classes, making new friends, and getting involved with all college life has to offer takes over your life more than you could ever imagine and that’s okay! You’re busy making new best friends and so are your high school friends and haven’t you met your parents many “college best friends?” Your best friends in college will end up being in your wedding party, the godparents of your children, and the ones you’ll laugh with in the future about all of your crazy nights.

4. Get into good habits now

Don’t procrastinate your homework everyday, study as hard as you can for each test but don’t beat yourself up if you don’t always do well, put in extra effort, and go above and beyond to be the best person you can be now so that when you start college it isn’t a difficult adjustment. College is all about learning how to manage your time, improve yourself academically, personally, and socially and it’s easier to do all of these things if you start in high school. Most importantly learn the good habit of balancing school, extracurricular, and having fun because these things just become bigger time commitments come college and you won’t have your parents there to keep you in line.