Talking to Graduates: 9 Things I Wish I Knew Before Graduating High School
1. “I wish I understood that not knowing what I remotely want to do in life, whether in grade nine or grade twelve, is completely normal” - Although you might feel entirely alone in the fact that you do not have any solid plans about what you want to do for the years following high school, stay calm. Surprisingly, there are thousands of other people just like you who are freaking out because their best friends (just like yours) know exactly what they will be doing November 15th at 5:00pm five years from now but you do not even know what field interests you. Do what you love and if you don’t know what that is yet, you have the rest of your life to find out. It is better to take extra time and be sure of your choice than to make a hasty decision based on everyone else’s. After all, almost everyone is just as clueless as you are right now, others are just better at hiding it.
2. “I wish I appreciated small class sizes while I had them” - Even though walking into a portable with 34 students may feel intimidating, that is nothing but a walk in the park compared to walking into a lecture hall of 1,000 people. Appreciate the ability to ask questions and feel acknowledged by the teachers running your classes.
3. “I wish I took the time and enjoyed being a kid, while I could”- Think about how old you are. Some of you may have a solid four years left till you turn eighteen, while others may have a couple of months before the dreaded one- eight comes their way. Either way, it is not a lot of time. Enjoy it. Make mistakes. Go play laser tag. Hang out with friends. Don’t worry so much. Just have fun and enjoy this time where you don’t have too many responsibilities weighing on you because, before you know it you are going to be an adult making decisions and planning for the rest of your life.
4. “I wish I learned how to play an instrument” - I don’t think any of you realize the power of an instrument. First off, whenever someone realizes that someone plays an instrument, they gain some extra points. As someone told me “they go from a respectable 7 to a 10 automatically”. But more importantly, similar music taste is probably one of the most common ways to make friends. Playing the guitar, piano, ukulele, heck even the spoons or the harmonica gives you the power to spread music and make new friends that share your passion for an amazing thing.
5. “I wish I understood that high school does not define who you are for the rest of your life”- This is a big one. Some people are going to love high school and others are not. Either way high school is just a “thing” everyone has to go through and luckily we have the opportunity to go through. It can be some of the best years of your life but, do not worry if they are not, you got a lot ahead of you, your entire life actually. Just don’t waste the time that you do have.
6. “I wish I kept my options open for university and college programs”- Many do not realize that the idea of having only one dream and one plan for life after high school is risky. Although sometimes it does work out and you do get into the program you wanted and you do get that job you were rooting for, other times life doesn’t go as planned. It’s good to take as many tours as possible and make sure that you are keeping all the right doors open. You never know how you might feel a year from now, so maybe take that extra math just in case.
7. “I wish I realized that getting involved in the school community does not make you ‘uncool’”- The biggest misconception of high school is that being involved makes you “an annoying peppy person”. Everyone needs to push that stereotype out of their mind because getting involved can be amazing. It opens doors for post-secondary scholarships, allows you to feel like a part of something bigger and most importantly helps you make friends and relationships that can last a really long time. Whether it be Muskoka Woods, Anime Club, Swim Team, STUGO or Gay-Straight Alliance. Getting involved is something many put off in high school because they do not understand the power it has. Although putting yourself out there is a scary step, it will pay off in the long run. Out of the 25 graduates interviewed for this article, 24 said they wish they joined more clubs and teams. 96% regret not getting involved. Remember that.
8. “I wish I realized that high school is only 4 years” - Although four years may seem like a long time. It’s not. It flies by and as much as you hate hearing that, it’s the truth. So take advantage of these four years because as the saying goes no deposit, no return.
9. “I wish I understood the value of a good haircut” - Now although you may think that your hair doesn’t really matter for that one picture day, your 25 year old self is going to be looking back at your old yearbook pictures and completely disagree. You will be mortified at your 15 year old self. While what you do will always be more important than what you look like, what you look like can sometimes be important too. As much as it is okay to get a $5.00 haircut from Magic Cuts, sometimes it’s good to put in the extra buck so you won’t look like Guy Fieri for your grade 10 student ID picture.