Maximize your years in high school

By Olivia Decker

Editor-in-Chief

 

These past two years at South have gone by so quickly that it’s hard to believe that one year from now I won’t be going to school with the same people I’ve been surrounded by for the past 11 years of my life.

When you start high school, everybody talks about how fast it goes by, but it’s hard to grasp just how quickly until you’re on the verge of leaving. When people told me this, I would think something along the lines of “thank god, I can’t wait to leave this place,” and dreamed of living in New York City or Los Angeles or somewhere very exciting where things are always happening. I never truly appreciated the many opportunities already available to me,

Over the past three years I’ve been completely focused on getting high grades so that I could get into one of my dream schools halfway across the country. While focusing on academics has made it possible for me to have a shot at

being admitted into these schools and I’m proud that I tried my hardest, it also had some negative effects on my mentality surrounding failure to the point where it seemed like there would be no options left for me if I didn’t succeed in nearly everything. This year, I’ve decided that rather than focusing solely on getting perfect grades so I can get accepted into my perfect college, I’ll step back and focus on making sure that I’m doing something that keeps me happy and mentally healthy instead.

I’m not by any means saying that getting good grades isn’t important; I’m saying that worrying about grades to the point where other aspects of your life are sacrificed is unhealthy and not worth it. Challenging yourself is necessary for growth, but pushing yourself too hard will lead you into a downward spiral of setting too-high expectations for yourself.

My advice for any sophomores reading this who dream of leaving the Midwest for is this: aspiring for bigger and better things is always good, but remember to take time for yourself and don’t let your ambition take over your life. Do things that make you happy, and don’t let your life revolve around getting perfect grades so you can get into a school with a criminally low acceptance rate. High school is all about finding out who you are, and if you only focus on the person you plan on being after high school, you won’t be anybody after high school. High school doesn’t have to be a big painful experience that you try to overcome, it can be rewarding if you use your time to discover what you’re passionate about and what kind of person you want to become. Even if going to football games and playing sports isn’t your idea of having a good high school experience, (it certainly wasn’t mine), try to find a niche for yourself to meet new people and do what you love to do, no matter what it may be.