Things That Change After High School
Graduating high school is an amazing achievement, and you should be proud of that. Here are some things that are either coming your way, or already have come your way once you’re finally out.
Listen to your parents. Seriously. They know what’s best, I promise.
You lose contact with almost everybody. At first, it sucks, but then it’s kind of nice. You see the same people for 13 years, to some, never seeing them again is nice. It was for me. Your true friends will stick around, so don’t worry about that.
You become WAY more independent. You learn to lean on yourself, verses other people. You get to make your own school schedule, you’ll have your own money that YOU earned, and, if you’re lucky, your parents will give you more leeway.
Take your education seriously. It’s YOUR choice to be paying thousands of dollars at a school, you better do the best you can.
You are a lot less sheltered. Your college professors tell you things that a high school teacher wouldn’t. You’re out in the real world now, kid.
Speaking of the real world, it kinda sucks. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be going to school full time and work part time. There will be nights where you don’t get home from work until 10 or 10:30 & have to be right back up out of bed at 6am for a full day of classes, or another shift. Just keep chugging, I know it’s hard, but I promise it’s worth it.
You HAVE to work. Mommy and daddy know that you are an adult now, and being an adult means you’re getting a job. You may have already had a job in high school, which is great. If you didn’t, now is your time. Being in college is super expensive, and your parents sometimes don’t have money to give you to go shopping every week and pay your 120,000$ tuition by themselves.
You never have to see your classmates again. With the exception of class reunions (yuck — In my humble opinion). You’ll never have to see the kid that always cheated off you, or who used to post nasty things about you. You’re done, and odds are, your paths will never cross. It’s amazing.
College is amazing. If you decide to not go, that’s totally okay too. I love college. I get to chose my own schedule, chose my future, and make friends along the way.
College friends are your best friends. Those kids that you’re in the same major with are amazing. They’re willing to help you, kind and most likely could be your long time friend. Since you’re interested in the same thing, you tend to click easier.
Everything is your choice. You don’t have to take chemistry if you don’t want to, if you don’t want to eat lunch at a certain time, you don’t have to. Heck, you don’t even have to raise your hand to go to the bathroom anymore, you just get up and go.
If you decide to not go to college, that’s perfectly fine. College is not for everybody. Some people already have good jobs and can easily work their way up the totem pole. If you can do that, that’s amazing.
If there’s one thing college students hate more than anything, it’s seeing high school kids complain about how they didn’t get a two hour delay. Newsflash: those don’t exist in college.
It does not matter when you graduate. If it takes you 2 years, 4, 6 or even 10 years, good for you. You can do your future in your own personal speed. No one is pressuring you. A ton of people graduate late, very few graduate early. I just changed my major (and already went to school for 2 years), so I basically won’t graduate for at least another 3. But it’s fine. I have a job and I can support myself. I’d rather graduate late than do something that makes me unhappy my entire life.
Your time will come. When people graduate high school, that’s the first step into their future. Some people get married at 18/19. Some don’t marry until they’re 30. Some have kids early, some have none. Your future is waiting for you, you just have to be patient and keep doing whatever you’re doing. Always remember to be patient & kind, it will benefit you more than you know.
Sweat pants. Don’t ever get rid of them.
Your true friends will stick by you. They won’t drop you after graduation. Good friends are hard to come by, so if you’ve got some, please hold onto them so tight. They’re one in a million.
Leave your high school tendencies in the past. Don’t gossip, cheat or lie. It will just come back to bite you. It’s not worth it, and it gets you in more trouble than you’d think. Plus, it’s just not cool.
Be yourself! You’re not in high school anymore!! You can open up, be real, show your true colors. No one is going to judge you anymore. You’re free to be you.
Remember how you used to hate assign seats? But…when you enter college you sit in the same seat every day.
People will show you their true colors. In the adult world, you can get to know a person by asking “how are you?” If they ignore you, they’re typically bitter and uneasy. If they are open & friendly, odds are they’re kind and polite. It’s weird how fast you’ll get to know someone. In the real world, people don’t pretend to be your friend. If they enjoy you for who you are, you’ll know.
Weekends don’t exist. You’re either working, studying, or procrastinating.
Stop forcing people to try and like you. Some people just won’t, and that’s fine. Just move on to bigger and better things.
Everyone is in their own lane. Your friend may not be in college, but she’s working full time, while you’re in college full time and working. Everyone is on their own track in life. Just keep doing what you’re doing.
Cliques are not a thing anymore. Praise Jesus, hallelujah. The homecoming queen isn’t walking royalty, she’s serving at a restaurant. The football players are trying to stay sober at your local university, and the nerds are out there getting masters degrees.
