My Thoughts on School

I recently read a blog post called "Leslie's Going to Boarding School?!" In it, Leslie writes about how she got accepted into a very exclusive boarding school and her confidence about it. But, the one part that really struck me was this:

"College Bound?
The funny thing is though… I don’t think I’m going to go to college. I’m not going to the school to prepare to get a scholarship and go to college. I’m purely going for a great experience. To learn, to grow, to push myself beyond my boundaries. I’ll be one of those people who messes up the 99% statistic for college goers."

The reason this part made me think is because I've been wondering why I want to go to college. I mean, as of right now, nothing I want to do in the future requires having a degree.

• I know how to write.



• I have the knowledge and common sense of how to run a business simply.



• Travelling doesn't necessitate a degree.

Right now, those are the three main things I want to do, and I already have the resources and ability to do them, so why is it that I feel the need to go to university?

Since I was little, I've always thought that everyone needed to go to college in order to get on with their lives. I feel like it's a building block experience of life. I do think that we've been conditioned to feel that. Teachers are always saying stuff like, "I didn't go to college for _ years for nothing." It seems like everyone is expected to go, but why?

I still want to go, so I can have that experience, those friends that are supposedly the ones you hold onto for life, and the feeling of accomplishment you get when they hand you your diploma, but, if I don't go, I'll still have amazing experiences, irreplaceable friends, and the sense of accomplishment of doing things that I'm proud of and want to do.

I probably will go, because I feel like it is a necessary bridge from living with your parents and having most things taken care of for you to living on your own with all the responsibilities that come with that.

School Right Now

The part where Leslie writes about how she goes to school to have a great experience is amazing and kind of enlightening to me. I'm really into simplicity and living in the moment and all that, but it never occurred to me to do that in school.

I am always planning and working towards the future, when it comes to school. In fact, I spent about an hour today going through scholarship and internship matches and filling out forms for them online. That seems like a good idea, money-wise, but I did it at such an inopportune time - while I was visiting with my grandma. That makes no sense, now that I think about it. (Sorry, Grammy.)

All my hard work, the pushing, the staying up late, the doing homework during lunch instead of catching up with my friends, doesn't seem worth it, really. When I do that, I'm working towards a goal so far into the future, that it doesn't make sense to put off what's important now. Sure, pushing yourself and expanding your knowledge is good, but not to the point of ruining the only thing that you are guaranteed right now, the one moment you're in.

What if, God forbid, someone works so hard to get good grades and fills her schedule with extra-curriculars so she can get into a prestigious college, and her life is cut short or she is unable to go, for some reason? I feel that it's more important to enjoy this moment, than use it to get you ahead in an unpromised future.

How I'm Going to Change

Well, now that that's been said, here's what I'm going to change about how I do things in school:

• No working at lunch, unless it's absolutely necessary. I'm going to use this time to hang out with my friends, to refuel so I don't negatively impact my health or feel groggy later, and to slow down, so I can fully remember my high school experience, so it doesn't seem like a blur.


• Break down projects to the smallest possible steps, so it's hard for me not to start. For example, if I have one week to write a paper, the day it's assigned, I'm going to go home, type out the header on a word document, and come up with topics and thoughts on them, based on the assignment. The next day, I would expand each topic and pick which one I feel I would write the best about. The next day, I'd pre-write the introduction, and so on. *Ever since I was younger, I finished every project the day before it was due, if not that day. This causes so much stress, and doesn't leave me time to enjoy the assignment or do my best.*


• Only join clubs and participate in service learning opportunities if I feel like they are something I want to do. I signed up for something like 9 clubs last year, just because they sounded interesting or because my friends were doing them. Of the 9, only 4 gave me more information, like meeting dates, and I only attended meetings of 3 of those. In the end, I didn't follow through with any of the clubs I had signed up for, because they weren't in line with what I felt most passionate about. This year, I'm going to focus on activities that actually make me happy and make me want to do them. Plus, I'm going to look for things outside of school, like a job at an independent bookstore and making videos on YouTube; things that really excite me.


• Don't go 110% on things that don't really matter. Last year, I thought every single thing we did in class was going to be on the quarter test or final exam. This led me to study a little bit of everything we'd covered, instead of paying attention to what we spent the most time on or what was emphasized the most. I spent countless nights up late, just to make sure I had the perfect wording on a rough draft of a paper, or to finish coloring a time line for extra credit. Stupid stuff like that, that doesn't even matter.

To Summarize

I'm going to keep this year really simple. My locker, my schedule, my workload. I'm going to work on taking each day as it comes and staying in the moment, instead of working blindly towards a goal I may never have the opportunity to achieve. This year is going to amazing and much less stressful than last year, which I am really looking forward to.

Thanks for reading this exceptionally long post! I really appreciate it! ♥