High School | What is it Really Like?
Have you ever heard of that saying, "High school can either be the best four years of your life, or the worst?"
Well, as a high school senior, I can tell you this: That quote is pretty spot on.
As someone who's hit her sophomore slump and has seen herself go from an all As student to experiencing her first B and C in her second year of high school, I can tell you with resolute conviction that high school was, in fact, my own personal Hell.
But before we sit down, here's a cup of steaming cup of coffee.
You'll want to be awake for this tale my friend.
On my first day of high school, I went to all the wrong classes. Yes, I was the cliche, inexperienced freshman featured in every other high school movie in existence. Thinking back, it should have been evident to my naive self that it was weird not having my name on a single teacher's roster that day. Clearly it wasn't, however, as I didn't even realize I had no math class until my dad had mentioned it later that evening when he looked over my schedule.
Since I had moved from Texas a month prior to this experience, my counselors placed me in the easiest classes at the school. My grades soared as I was an born and bred honors student until my freshmen year, and these classes, let me tell you, were just pathetic in comparison.
But I let myself slip out of that work hard, play hard mentality that I had kept until 9th grade. I wasn't working hard, but I had had more leisure time than ever before, and my ninth grade was the first year I had ever gotten a grade higher than a 100% in any class.
Luckily my 4.0 that year has helped my GPA float above the 3.0 mark for the rest of my high school career. But, as I now come to realize, many colleges don't give a single sh*t about freshman year.
It's freshman year, they say.
Let them adjust, they say.
I should be writing my Common App rn. Brb.
Anyways, I'm sure getting rid of freshman year has helped a lot of people get into the college of their dreams, like UC Berkeley for example, a college which does throw out one's freshman year of grades.
But it ain't helpin' out all of us son.
'Cuz I had a mighty fine GPA freshman year, scout's honor.
Luckily for people like me, many private colleges look at all four years of high school. But I mean, they should, considering the amount of tuition you're paying them, which these days (2017) is around $50,000/year.
I'll tell you when I'm Bill Gates @privatecolleges.
But until then, hand over a full scholarship.
Continuing on my high school path, I found myself face to face with AP Biology, a class I had fought hard to take since it wasn't "in my path."
Not like I ever had the choice which high school "path" I wanted to take since the classes I wanted were "not available to transfers."
Yes, you heard that right folks.
INTERMISSION: Let me inform you on what a "path" refers to in high school. A high school path can either refer to a medical path, a honors path, an arts path, etc. It's kind of like majors, but in high school - it lets you focus on your career much earlier than you really should. High school is for exploration, testing out your limits and nourishing your talents (I'm clearly biased, but feel free to contact me and argue).
Now back to the story.
There were certain classes, as my vice principal had so kindly explained , that were unavailable to transfers as they, "feared [I] might not do so well, as [I] hadn't grown up in the same school district."
Wonderful school policy, isn't it?
Although I doubt it was an actual "policy," and more like an unconscious bias upon hearing that I came from Texas.
Buddy, one look at Dallas, and you'll find yourself face to face with a sprawling metropolitan city, not the grassroots rodeo that so many ignorant people have come to imagine.
And Houston was, at one point, the fourth largest city in the U.S.A., although I'm not sure if it still is after Harvey came to town.
Back to AP Biology.
I wanted to be a doctor because:
1.) I liked Grey's Anatomy at one point.
2.) I'm simultaneously creeped out and fascinated by the body, mainly the brain tbh, and
3.)
I mean, come on, let's be honest, which one of us doesn't empathize with my man Donald. #mcm
But for my haters, my eventual plan is to be part of the Doctors Without Borders program. It's been a dream of mine to help people and travel the world simultaneously, and while I realize I'm not going to be sightseeing while there are people in Syria, for example, dying in a genocide, I find that I like the combination of a vagabond lifestyle paired with the ability to help people who don't necessarily have the means to pay for their treatment.
But that's a story for another time. Now back to my AP Bio class.
Simply put, the class was horrendous - my teacher lectured continuously on one topic straight for a week at a time, and on our weekly tests he managed to fit in 50 other topics which we hadn't discussed, or even skimmed in class.
I understand that AP classes do have a high level of self-studying involved, but this teacher didn't make the slightest effort into getting information into his students' heads. We watched videos from the '50s on the founding of DNA, instead of properly preparing for the AP test.
And he posted grades right before semester ended.
Smh.
It only went further downhill from there. I was lethargic through my sophomore year and junior year, and my grades suffered because of it.
Once you develop a bad habit, it really is hard to get rid of it.
And my grades are like this without having gone to a single high school party/dance in all 3.25 years of high school.
Not that they sounded any good though, I've heard that homecoming this year couldn't have been any cheaper, especially as it was held at my school, a building that looks like it really did house inmates and petty criminals at one point in time.
All in all, if you're an incoming high schooler, or are a fellow high schooler looking for advice, here are three tips:
1.) Don't procrastinate.
You'll sleep earlier and stress-free - trust me, it's worth it.
2.) Participate in class.
Teacher recommendations are pretty important in your senior year, and you want to make sure you keep all your options open. You should also check in with your teacher from year to year to make sure they remember you, which can be very helpful for someone writing a recommendation letter for you.
3.) Prioritize correctly.
Make sure your sports come after your grades. Even if you're an all-star athlete, you still have GPA requirements to fulfill. But it's not just sports - make sure you concentrate more on the classes which you'll need for whatever future career you have in mind (if you even have one, you'll find most people in high school have no idea what they want to do in life, not even an inkling).
4.) Concentrate on your work.
There have been multiple times where I found myself plugging in headphones thinking I could work at the same time, but turns out I can't multitask at all. Hence, even if I thought I had studied a subject really well, considering I had spent hours on it the previous day, turns out I had memorized the lyrics to a full Beyoncé album instead.
These were just four tips that I know would have helped me in high school and is by no means a comprehensive list of do's and do-not's in high school, but I hope it helps!
Feel free to vote, comment, or message me on your thoughts! Thank you for reading, and stay tuned for next Saturday's blog!