Before you ask, no, I’m not one of those people who peaked in high school. At least I hope not. But as much as I love the ability to choose to not go to class until noon everyday or not having to ask to go to the bathroom, sometimes I think I’d gladly give all of that up if it meant going back through those relatively stress free doors.
1. Big fish in a small pond
I still remember the good old days when I could legitimately claim myself as one of the smartest. As nice as it is to surround myself with a bunch of equally minded people to discuss smart people things with, it felt ten times more awesome to be known as “the smart one” back in high school. But now, thanks to the idiot filter called college applications, everybody’s smart. That super special feeling remains left behind, like my old locker that I could never open.
2. Mo Textbooks, Mo Problems
Oh, textbooks — they’re a student’s frenemy at best. They’re usually required to pass the class, yet I could probably buy an organ off the black market with the cost of the simple Intro to Psych book that’s under my bed somewhere. The bookstore’s buyback system isn’t all sunshine and rainbows either. Five bucks for the $150 book I bought? You’ve got to be kidding me. As annoying as it was to receive stacks of old, almost crumbly books every year, I’d gladly take all those back if it meant I didn’t have to cry at the sight of my bank account at the beginning of every quarter.
3. Make new friends and struggling to keep the old
I’m a firm believer in this mantra. If you have an old, not so shiny penny, why replace it with a brand new one? Why not keep both and double your wealth? So yeah, I’m still besties with my high school friends, even though coordinating everyone’s busy schedules to find a time to catch up usually results in postponed plans. Back in high school we could catch up during 6th period. Now? Finding the one day/time that works with everybody is like those logic puzzles I used to do: fun in theory but impossible.
4. Nobody likes a debby downer
Unless you were an avid athlete, gym class was probably the bane of your existence. It definitely was for me, along with calculus, biology, history… and pretty much anything that wasn’t lunch. Back then I’d suffer through each class period while glaring at the clock, and could blame the school for making me take all of these useless classes. In college you get to choose all your classes, so theoretically you’d enjoy everything you take. In reality, there’s something called major requirements, A.K.A. more classes that induce clock-glaring. Now complaining about classes just looks whiny because everyone thinks you’re supposed to love everything you take in college.
5. Less stressful
Everyone says that college is where you train yourself to become a real adult in the real world. No pressure when you’re coordinating your entire future, right? If you screw up in college, you’re basically… screwed. Forget about forging Mom’s signature to get out of a test or to take a mental health (ahem, Netflix) day, because whatever you do is on you. Yes, taking charge of your own life seems fabulous and all, but there are some days where you just can’t… yet that’s not an option.
6. It’s a small world
Remember that hottie you hooked up with from the trashy bar last night? Chances are, you don’t. Imagine trying to find him in the mini city that’s your school. Remember in high school when you could always figure out where your crush liked to hang between classes and how easy it was to find him? Though we all love big campuses (no more awkward run ins with your ex), finding whomever you felt an amazing connection with becomes next to impossible.
Of course, this doesn’t mean I hate college. There’s something to be said for sleeping in everyday and majoring in something I love. But hey, if I could build a DeLorean, I just might go back and spend a couple days in high school.
