Graduating high school is a challenging rite of passage from adolescent life to adulthood. You commence the journey to high school as a sheltered fourteen-year-old, living with parents and rules. You finish the journey as a confident, eighteen-year-old individual who is ready to tackle the obstacles that life will soon bring. Now that you have finished the adventure that is high school, you are an independent member of society whom must embrace the challenges of a fresh start in a new location.
For some, this will be quite easy because graduation was the last time you ever walked the hallowed halls of your high school and will never look back. However, others can be struggling to let go of the good times. Keep reading for a list of 20 signs that you miss high school already, and see if you can relate!
1. You still wear your high school swag.
Whether it be that cozy sweater you ordered because you were part of the swim team or the smelly gym shirt you wore in Phys. Ed every day, you’re still wearing part of your high school. This is completely normal because we all do it, letting go is hard and why stash perfectly good clothing to the back of your closet anyway?
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2. You still talk about high school often.
Getting together and hanging out with friends after high school is important in order to maintain a healthy relationship and an active social life, but why sit around and talk about high school? With the excitement of a new year starting, there is no need to relive the drama and gossip, it is in your past and therefore it would be a good idea to leave it there.
3. You read over your old conversations on social media.
Now that you have graduated, it is time to put an end to re-reading those old Facebook messages from that guy who would only message you to ask for law class notes. It is time to delete those conversations and begin your fresh start. There will be plenty of new messages within the next year from people asking you for notes.
4. You still keep in contact with your favourite professors.
Even I am guilty of this one, still e-mailing particular teachers about things we shared a common interest in or even relating to previous course material. It is alright to e-mail those teachers occasionally but you have to remember, they have their own lives and you need to focus on starting yours.
5. You’re adding everyone possible on social media.
Again, I am guilty of this one using the excuse of “networking” but in reality the excuse is a lack of will power to let go. There must have been a reason during those four years as to why you didn’t follow them on Instagram or add them on Snapchat. It is time to stop clicking that follow button and instead let them go, they probably will not change your life in any way.
6. You’re still spending money like a high school student.
It’s 11:30 pm and the pizza delivery boy shows up to your door holding a $40.00 small pizza in his hand and you think, “why not?” Well here is the reason why not to order that pizza, College and University is not cheap, the cost of textbooks will burn holes in your wallet not to mention the price of tuition. Here’s a friendly piece of advice: save your money, you will need it.
7. You carry over your old high school habits.
Whether it be procrastinating on chores or calling in sick to work because you simply don’t want to go, these old high school habits must come to an end. You are an adult now, adults don’t have time to procrastinate and they go to work whether they like to or not because they know they need money to support their living.
8. You still rely on Mom and Dad.
“Dad can you drive me? Mom can you call the doctor?” These are statements that we as young adults have uttered way too often. It is time to grow up, get that driver’s license, and call the doctor on your own, you are independent now.
9. You still have nightmares forgetting homework assignments.
You are on the brink of falling asleep when all of a sudden your brain begins to wonder, “Do I have that English paper due tomorrow?” As you sit up and look around in the dark abyss of your room you slowly begin to realize that it is summer break, no reports are due tomorrow and you will never have that class again.
10. You still wake up at the same time you did before school.
This is simply your body’s way of telling you that it was so used to the routine of getting up at the crack of dawn in order to get ready for school. In order to correct this, stay in bed and try to fall back asleep. Eventually your body should adjust to the new wake-up time but not for long because come September you will be awake again at the crack of dawn to get ready for class.
11. You sleep in… late.
“Summer break is for sleeping in!” we protest but there is a fine difference between sleeping in and sleeping in late. Sleeping in qualifies as waking up no later than 9:30am but if you’re waking up at noon every day, then you’re sleeping in late. It may be blissful now but it is not a good routine to have once September arrives because you will be late for your classes.
12. You still find yourself looking through your yearbooks…again.
Who cares if this is the eighth time that I’ve looked through these books, that’s what they’re meant for, right? It is common to take a stroll down memory lane on occasion but if you are obsessively looking through your year books it may be time to find a new hobby. Leave the year books for your future children to explore!
13. You actually miss high school cafeteria food.
Sometimes it could be downright disgusting and other times it was some of the best cuisine you have ever tasted. If you’re not on residence and/or don’t have a meal plan get ready to make your own lunch every day. Try not to forget about the cafeteria cookie in the process!
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14). You’re still preparing pictures to decorate your locker with.
Whether it be nice pictures for your own locker or embarrassing screenshots for your best friend’s birthday locker, you are still printing out and/or organizing these pictures to then realize you won’t have a high school locker to decorate. It’s alright though, keep those nice pictures for your dorm room!
15. You miss having a routine lunch with friends.
In high school, lunch is mandatory every day and therefore you had about 30-35 minutes to eat and catch up with your friends. Once you are out of high school, you have to schedule lunch yourself and most likely it will be a lonely one because the reality is that not everyone has the same schedule as you.
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16. You still plan out your outfits the night before or the morning of.
You can whole heartedly understand the struggle of trying to find an outfit that works every day unless you’re like me who went to a school with a uniform. That being said, college and university do not require you to be dressed to the nines- therefore pajama day is every day!
17. You’re re-living the traditions.
You may just be watching promposal videos or showing up to your high school’s sports game as a guest but in reality you are trying to relive the memories of these traditions. College and University are about making new traditions, though, so do your best to watch those games instead.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BGpeVEiGNgK/?tagged=promposal
18. You anticipate those field trips.
Practically every class in high school had some sort of field trip (yes even occasionally math class did too) but these adventures are quite rare to find in college. The truth is, the new classes that you will be taking require you to be professional and we all know, professionals don’t take field trips.
19. You expect teachers to know your name.
Of course the first week of high school school is always challenging for teachers to learn names but eventually they would learn yours. Once you’re in college or university, this is not the case because professors teach over 1,000 students a week, thus you become a face in a sea of people and are downgraded to just a number. Don’t take it personally though, in life many people will forget your name.
20. You still expect things to be done for you.
Part of being a teenager in high school was that your laundry was done for you, meals were cooked for you, and that extensions would be given to you by your teachers for not finishing that biology lab. The rude wake up call is that in college and university, teachers will not give extensions and no one is there to do your laundry. For your meals, yes there will be someone to cook for you (if you’re on a meal plan) but no one compares to your mother’s cooking.
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