My 10 Pieces of Advice for High School Students

Everyone has different high school experiences. Personally, I LOVED my high school experience. I participated in many different activities, including cheerleading and theater. I took advanced classes and always pushed myself to do as much as I could. I feel that high school was a positive experience for me because I made it a positive experience. That being said, there are still so many things that I have learned since high school. I want to give my 10 pieces of advice to those who are in high school or are about to start high school.

Value GOOD friends over more friends

I remember wanting to have a huge friend group in high school. I wanted to have lots of followers on social media and wanted to be well known. As you get older, you realize that it is better to have good friends than a lot of friends. I'm close with 2 of my friends from high school. I feel out of contact with the rest after we graduated. I wish I would have focused more on maintaining strong relationships with people than just wanting to be liked or have a lot of friends.

Be careful with romantic relationships

High school is usually the time when people start dating and start forming romantic relationships. Many people think that it is cool to have sex in high school. No matter what you choose to do, please do not feel pressured to have a relationship that you don't want or to do things that you truly do not feel ready to do. Respect yourself and have patience. I promise you that you will thank your future self for waiting until you were ready.

Participate in activities

One of the reasons why I loved high school so much was because I was involved in so many activities. I attended scripture study before school. I had cheer practice or theater rehearsal after school. I took advanced placement classes. I was able to accomplish so many things in high school. You will find that participating in activities helps you enjoy high school, but also helps you enjoy LIFE. This principle applies even out of high school. When you have a higher purpose and are a part of something that helps you stay social, you will be happier. Even out of high school you should strive to become a part of clubs or other groups of activities. I promise it will make your life so much more enjoyable.

Push yourself to accomplish great things

There are many people who do not think that high school is important. They do not think that it is important to get good grades or take difficult classes. They try to make things as easy as possible. When you start your life like this, you will continue your life like this. It is not very fulfilling. When you push yourself to take harder classes and truly learn, you will feel better about yourself. You will feel more confident. You will feel accomplished. This is not just true in high school, but it is a principle that will follow you for the rest of your life. You can choose to live a mediocre life, or you can choose to live an amazing one. The choice is yours and you can make that choice now.

High school is not the most important thing

When you are in high school, it is hard to see a world outside of it. High school seems like the most important thing. It is important to be well liked. It is important to be popular. It is important to be pretty. While some of these things may continue to be important in other aspects of life, high school will not always be important. If something bad happens to you, if you do something embarrassing, if you are not the most popular, I am here to tell you that it will not matter in the future. You will likely completely forget those bad moments and the people you go to school with will eventually forget as well. So don't beat yourself up too much for mistakes you make. You are still learning and high school is not forever.

What is popular in high school will not stay popular forever

I remember wanting to wear all the latest fashion trends and makeup trends. I would get upset when my mom would not let me spend more money on expensive shoes or clothes. I felt like I didn't dress as cute compared to other girls in my class. Looking back, the things that girls used to wear in high school that were cool are not cool anymore. I look at my old high school pictures and laugh at the things I used to wear. Wearing expensive clothes may seem important, but it isn't the most important thing.

Getting bad grades and making bad decisions is not cool

There are many students that think that not caring about your grades is cool. In reality, the people who commit themselves to their studies will be able to commit themselves to their work in the future. And this work is what will make you successful. Start while you are young! Try to get good grades and form these good habits of being committed to your studies, even if its hard. There are also students who make bad decisions, such as smoking, taking drugs, and partying hard. Try not to start these bad habits when you are young. They will follow you into adulthood and will make life so much more difficult.

Learn to love and accept your body while you are young

The older you get, the more your body will change with time. Take advantage of your youth. Don't spend so much time comparing your body to others. In the future you will look back and wish that you looked like you did at 16. Learn to take care of your body and stay in shape so that you can look and feel your best. You will thank yourself in the long run.

High school will be enjoyable if you make it enjoyable

You can choose to be miserable in high school or you can choose to enjoy it. No matter where you are or what high school you go to, you can make it an enjoyable experience. Find friends that uplift you. Go to school activities and sport events. Become a part of a club or sport. Find your passion. Work hard and get good grades. All of these things will help you enjoy your time at school even more.

Set yourself goals for your future and start working on them now

High school is an amazing time to start thinking about your future goals and start working towards them! There are so many things that you can do now in order to get ahead. Even if you don't know exactly what you want to do, start searching! Try new things and find what you are passionate about.

I hope that these pieces of advice can help you. High school is not always easy and being a teenager can be a confusing time, but it doesn't last forever. Treasure the memories that you are making and let yourself learn and grow. I'm proud of you. Keep trying your best, it is enough.