Being the season for all of the new faces of confused freshmen in the process of transitioning from high school to college, it always makes me question: what did high school really teach me? And even more, did it teach me anything at all? Because the truth is, we will forget the Pythagorean Theorem. We will forget the 106 bones of the body and the date Napoleon was exiled. But we're never going to forget the lessons that prepared us for life. And for that I am eternally grateful.

1. It pays off to keep yourself busy and it pays off to try in class, but what pays off the most is being true to yourself.

2. Tell people how you feel, because rejection might hurt, but not as much as regret.

3. What you do when nobody is watching is way more important than what you do when they are.

4. Not all friends are forever, but memories are.

Chang Duong

5. Sometimes you get everything you want in life, and realize that it’s not enough.

6. A lot of things are okay: it’s okay to cry, it’s okay to get in trouble, it’s okay to fail a test, it’s okay to do your homework the period before it’s due. But it’s not okay to hurt people.

7. Boys will break your heart and friends will break your heart, but the world won’t stop for your grief.

8. You’re going to talk about people behind their backs, and you’re going to hate yourself for it later.

9. There’s a fine line between taking the high road and being a doormat. Meaning, sometimes you have to stand up for yourself, and sometimes you have to take it. But you always have to stand up for other people.

10. It’s okay to be angry, but that doesn’t make it okay to be cruel.

11. Stop trying to be someone you’re not just to impress people.

12. Read the books in Literature class.

13. Joy may not always be around you, but it’s always inside of you.

14. There’s a difference between holding a hand and chaining a soul.

15. You’ll never fully appreciate some people until it’s too late, and you have to forgive yourself for that.

16. Just because people don’t love you the way you want them to doesn’t mean they don’t love you with all they have.

17. Homecoming Queens are long forgotten. Kindness is not.

a sign that says be kind on it Photo by Adam Nemeroff on Unsplash

18. People are going to hurt you. Forgive them.

19. Don’t listen to the negative things people have to say about you, and definitely don’t feel sorry for yourself.

20. What’s in your head is way more important than what’s on it.

21. You will constantly find yourself overestimating people. And underestimating them.

22. High school is all about social politics, but so is real life.

23. You learn a lot from your teachers, but your teachers learn a lot more from you.

24. Low cut tops and mini skirts aren’t sexy, being smart is.

25. Some parents suck and some don’t, and you have zero control over what side yours come out on.

26. Time doesn’t heal all wounds, but love does.

27. Don’t settle for finding a life, build one from the ground up.

28. You have the right to talk back to a teacher or a coach, but what you have to say better be important.

29. Not everyone is going to like you. Get over it.

30. Questioning authority is good, but disrespecting authority is not.

31. Your ACT score doesn’t define you, because if it takes more than two numbers to measure your teachers’ poorly designed outfit, you better believe it takes more than one number to measure your intelligence.

32. Your dreams don’t work unless you do.

Photo by Alexis Brown on Unsplash

33. You can’t always predict who will be important in your life.

34.The right thing to do is almost never the popular one.

35. People will get places solely because of their parents, but only hard work can keep them there.

36. I’ve seen money buy a lot of things: friends, good grades, jobs. But it can’t buy character.

37. The people who always look put together are usually the ones falling apart.

38. Karma’s more of a b**** than any of the girls in class.

39. Stick to what you believe, not what you’re told to believe.

40. Don't let God or religion give you an excuse to hate.

41. Just because you made a mistake doesn’t mean you are a mistake.

42. Our lives are defined by opportunities, even the ones we miss.

43. Your circumstances may have influenced who you are, but you are fully responsible for who you become.

Photo by Himal Rana on Unsplash