Dear Freshman, if somehow you stumbled across our little-known newspaper and found yourself onto this article I want to congratulate you on making it this far.  But you aren’t done yet, you’ve still got 4 years of high school to complete. You will probably gonna make mistakes and you’re probably making plenty of mistakes right this moment.  I’m here to help you remedy that, from a senior who hasn’t had the best high school experience, I wish to help.

Step 1:  Stop being different, sort of.  Being yourself and being independent a great, nobody likes boring people.  But “different” shouldn’t be your main character trait. If you’ve ever described yourself as “quirky” or “special” you’ve probably committed this mistake.  It comes off as if you’re desperate for attention. Just be yourself, high school isn’t a competition to prove how different you are.

Step 2:  Listening to edgy music and philosophizing about life doesn’t make you special.  This is the sin I’ve committed most of all. Thinking that I’m above everyone as I listen to some music made in a dingy basement is something I do on a daily basis.  Sure, I think I’m the coolest kid on this side of 4 corners but in reality, people think you’re pretentious. Hop off your high horse, you haven’t discovered the meaning of life, the universe, and everything.  You aren’t the first person to listen to Lofi and Kid Cudi.

Step 3:  Regret is a waste of your time.  Regret haunts all of us every day of our lives.  Regretting decisions made long ago, regretting texts sent at 1 A.M, maybe even regretting decisions you didn’t make.  We all experience regret but to no avail. You can sit in bed all night and create the perfect scenario where you make all the right decisions, but that change the fact that you poured your heart out to your crush the other day and it turns out they are already taken and now they think you’re a tool (and no I’m not projecting, who are you, my therapist).  Don’t regret that failure. Learn from it and move on. Don’t fear regret either. Don’t NOT do something simply for fear that you’ll regret it later. Just do it and keep on living life.

Maybe you have no idea what I am ranting about, but maybe this struck just the right cord.  High school is about learning who you are and what your place is. I may act like it but I don’t have all the answers.  High school sucks, it really really does. Don’t ruin your experience, that’s other people’s job. Who knows, maybe I am wrong and I’m just “quirky” like that.