Back-to-School Season: A Letter to My High School Self

Summer seems to go by faster each year and no matter how much we wish it will never end, back-to-school season has quickly approached us. Going back to school can be stressful, scary and filled with a lot of unknowns. What is the status of my friend group? What do the ‘popular’ kids think of me? Will I have a lot of homework? Will I have a crush? These are questions running through every high-schooler’s head before walking through those big double doors on the first day. How many of you wish to go back and tell yourself not to worry, to reassure yourself that everything will eventually be okay? I sure wish I could. 

We at the Edge know how you’re feeling, and we know that turning back in time isn’t possible and we must move forward with our heads held high. So here we go:

Dear High School Me,

Congratulations! You made it to college and even though you didn’t think this at the time, you made it through the COVID-19 quarantine. All those girls you considered “popular” in high school have zero value in your life now and honestly don’t seem to have gotten that far. The social life in college is much different than high school. You’re not going to know everyone in your grade, but will have many more opportunities to make friends here than you did in high school. 

The bouncing between loyal friends and not so loyal friends can finally come to an end. In college, you’ve been more open-minded and decided to only fill your social life with people who love you for YOU! That’s it. There is no more room for fake friends who don’t bring joy to your life. We’re done with that, thank you very much! Please stop worrying about how you look or how others perceive you. Everyone experiences these thoughts, and we all must be empathetic to one another. We need to remember that the only perception that matters is how you perceive yourself and learning to love pieces of yourself that perhaps you didn’t love in high school.

Studying and fighting so hard for straight A’s and not getting them—we all went through phases of this in high school. I wish I could go back and tell myself how hard-working and smart I am, and that grades shouldn’t play a role in your self confidence. This is a huge lesson we all have to learn and are continuing to learn in college. Let’s be there for each other and understand that in 20 years, whether we got an A or not in a class is going to have zero impact on our life. 
There are days I wish to go back and hug my junior year self, and tell her that quarantine will eventually end, and you’re going to find your family in college. Just remember that high school is an important time, but in the grand scheme of  life, you still have so much coming. Stop putting pressure on yourself and look forward to better times. 

We at The Edge know college is still a time where we learn many lessons and discover new things about ourselves. Regardless, we’ve all changed since high school and are going to continue to change and grow in our twenties. So here’s to our high school self that was nervous, frustrated and confused. Some days were amazing, some days were impossible, but you made it through. Here’s to growth and the new experiences college has brought us. Most importantly, here’s to our strength to keep going and the happiness we’ve experienced along the way.