Karina Tsoy / Edge Columnist
As the school year comes to an end, many students may feel mixed emotions and confusion wondering what is next to come. “High school will be the best years of your life,” a quote that can be heard from parents, weighing the responsibility of adulthood on their shoulders, teachers who preach students will never have this much freedom again, or university students who are struggling to make ends meet. It is true that high school students do not have mortgage bills or student loans to pay off. However, these “good old days” may not be so golden for everyone and there should not be pressure to make these the best years of your life.
For most, high school is not how it was expressed in movies, creating unrealistic expectations. In reality, high school is stumbling upon words and struggling to make friends, procrastinating, spending nights frantically typing and cracking your brain at those math problems and constantly starring at your phone to check on that party that no one bothered to invite you to. Its hours spent in a bed, starring at the ceiling, wondering if this is as good as it gets.
Constantly caring the burden that high school is the best time of your life may cause important events to not seem exciting but rather underwhelming. Living life by chasing expectations instead of enjoying every moment. “Going into grade 12 with high expectations for senior year, I noticed I haven’t been really enjoying it,” says Kristy Wong, grade 12. “Now at the end I realize that I shouldn’t have worried about doing everything at once but just enjoyed the moment.”
A lot of songs heard at graduation include lyrics such as “the time of our lives is almost up,” which could not be further from the truth. At 17 and 18 years old, the age when most graduate high school, life is just beginning. College years, falling in love, getting married, having kids and moving into a real house, that is when real memories begin. No one is going to be the same person they were during adolescent years, but remember being an adult lasts way longer than the four years you are imprisoned for in high school.
“My advice to anyone who feels like high school was not a good or memorable experience is to simply make the best you can out of it,” says Wong. “And just be excited for the many years of adulthood you have ahead of you.”
Do not worry, high school will never be forgotten. Ask any adult and their eyes will glaze with nostalgia while talking about their teen years, it will always be a part of us. It is a time for growth and learning, preparing you to grow into the person you want to be for the rest of your life. So, throw your cap in the air and hold that diploma proudly, you have made it this far and the best years of your life are yet to come.
Sources:
Information:
FYI High School Grads: The Time Of Your Life Isn’t Ending, It’s Just Beginning
Why High School Won’t Always Be The Best Years Of Your Life
Is high school really the best years of your life?
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