4 Realizations You Have After Graduating From High School
You can hardly believe it. You are at the end of high school. How many times did you wish for graduation day to arrive? How many times did you wish high school was behind you? But now that you are here, you are feeling a mix of emotions.
You feel many opposites emotions: excitement and dread, busy and bored, grateful and regretful, and happy and sad. Are your conflicting feelings normal? Below are 4 realizations high school graduates have when graduating from high school.
1. Life moves quickly.
Parents, relatives, teachers, and other adults constantly told you that life moved quickly for them. You were doubtful, but now you feel this phenomenon for yourself. You can hardly believe that high school is over.
You probably feel at least slightly nostalgic. Reflecting on the past few years, you remember more good than bad. Your experiences were fun, exciting, and full of adventure. You might even wish you could go back and relive those memories.
As annoying as life was at times, you know you will miss high school. Your teachers were not as bad as you made them out to be at times. You know you will miss even the “bad” ones.
You feel grateful for your high school teacher’s investment in your life and education, and you may struggle to know how to thank them. If you are not comfortable with sharing your gratitude face to face, consider writing them a kind note. If you are not good with words, consider giving them a small gift (e.g., gift card for coffee). Your teachers appreciate any words of encouragement.
You know you will miss your classmates and peers, even the annoying ones. You know you will likely never see many of these people again after high school. These last days together are special, because you only have a matter of days before high school is over forever.
How can you savor these last days with your classmates and peers?
Refuse to let the little things bother you. In the moment, their habits are incredibly frustrated. Later on, you will probably completely forget about these annoyances.
Focus on what you enjoy. Positivity is powerful. Don’t get bogged down in negatives. Choose to focus on the parts of high school you do enjoy.
Be patient with others. Remember you are leaving a legacy. Choose to act in the way in which you want to be remembered in these last days of high school.
You know you will miss high school events, even the inconvenient ones. You may feel tired of going to events at school. You likely won’t be able to experience any of these events ever again, so enjoy them now.
In the months ahead, life will change dramatically. You will change drastically. Rather than stressing about the change ahead, take time to communicate gratitude to those around you and plan for your upcoming freshman year.
2. Choices do matter.
Your decisions are important. Some decisions can utterly transform your life, while others have little consequences. Learning how to make wise choices is important, especially as you enter adulthood.
Some choices may seem like a big deal right now, but later you will realize they were not agonizing. For example, many students experience a great deal of stress when choosing a major. Right now, this decision seems to determine the entire course of your life. In reality, this decision can influence your future, but your college major doesn’t determine it.
Some choices may not seem like a big deal right now, but they are. For example, partying with friends the night after your graduation can sometimes get out of hand. When alcohol and drugs get in the mix, you may consider partaking. Remember that one night of fun can have long-term effects. Out-of-control partying is not worth losing an academic or athletic scholarship, marking your record as an adult, or paying expensive fines.
When you are faced with a decision, consider the consequences. Determine if the experience is worth the possible outcomes. Learning to make smart decisions means thinking about the future. Some small decisions can lead to big consequences. Don’t allow the moment to get the best of you!
3. Expectations become higher.
When you become a high school graduate, you quickly realize that life is different. People expect more from you. You expect more from yourself. This is a new stage of life.
How does your parent expect more from you? Your parent now begins to see you as more of an adult. You are no longer a small child but instead a young adult. As a result, your parent may ask you to help out more.
Your mom or dad may ask you or expect you to do more around the house, like keep your room orderly, clean up after yourself, or help with yard work. You may feel frustrated by these requests or chores, but remember this is actually a sign of respect. Your parent respects you more as an adult and, therefore, has given you more adult-like responsibilities.
How do friends expect more from you? Because you do not see each other on a daily basis, your friends may expect you to keep up with them. Regardless of how busy your schedule is, know that your friends miss seeing you and spending time with you.
In your mind, you may feel like this summer is not all that different from past summers, but your younger friends (who are still in high school) want to know that you haven’t forgotten them. Their constant messages and invitations are attempts to stay connected to you. They want to ensure you are still in their lives.
How do you expect more of yourself? You may not be aware of this fact, but you likely expect more of yourself now. You are no longer in high school. You are a college student.
Your high school graduation isn’t a magical experience that grows you up overnight. Be patient with yourself! You are going to be feeling a strange mix of emotions this summer. You will be counting down the days until you can go to college but also dreading your arrival. You will wish for independence to make your own choices but also wishing your dad or mom would tell you what to do. You will be anxious to get everything ready for college but also procrastinating the packing process for college.
Having some expectations for yourself is good and needful, but keep your expectations realistic. You won’t be able to purchase items for college and pack pack them in a few days. You won’t be able to work every second of the work week to help save up for college bills. However, you can work ahead and gradually buy items and you can work many weeks this summer to prepare for the bills to come.
4. Relationships change.
You probably are not sure exactly what your relationships will look like in the future. Maybe you haven’t even thought about them changing. Prepare yourself for some changes ahead. This summer you will slowly begin to see that your relationships will not stay completely the same.
Your romantic relationships, family relationships, and friendships will change in the months ahead. First, your romantic relationships will change. Even if you promised you would stay together after high school, your boyfriend or girlfriend may not last the summer. If you attend college far away from your boyfriend or girlfriend, your relationship will be hard to maintain. There are some couples that have lasted through the transition to college and over long distance, but these couples are the exception, not the norm.
Second, your family relationships will change. You will begin to see your parent as a person and not merely your parent. You will start seeing your parent’s faults, viewpoints, personality, and characteristics more objectively. You will realize your dad or mom needs encouragement, support, and meaningful friendships just like you do.
Third, your friendships will change. Your high school friends will probably not be your closest friends for the rest of your life. Keeping your friendship up to date in different locations is difficult. Even if you attend the same college, you and your friends may drift apart. You change, and they change. Enjoy your friendships for what they are and remember that some friendships are for a specific season of life.
High school graduation is here, and you think you’re ready. While you know life will change, you can confidently face the months ahead knowing that you will adjust to college eventually. It will just take time.
