Think about where you are in your life right now. Several years ago, did it seem inconceivable that you would reach this point in your life? Now that it’s here, does it feel like life is going at 2x speed? Many describe the notion as the older you get, the faster times passes. 

One of the main principles to explain this school of thought is the consideration that when individuals are younger, a year or two accounts for a larger percentage of their life. One year for a 10 year-old, for instance, is already 10% of their life, but considering their actual conscious memory, that year can be as much as 20% of their life that they have experienced. Therefore, a year will amount to an even smaller percentage of our lives as we age, and the seemingly eternal summers of our elementary years turn into a transient hot spell. 

Viewing high school from a younger perspective may have prompted the idea of an eternal high school career as well. However, the verdict may not be the case. Senior Abby Young reflects, “High school went by so much faster than I thought it would. Everyone told me when I was a freshman that it was going to go by in a blink of an eye and to enjoy every moment, and here I am four years later telling it to all the freshmen I know.”  Anita Tun (12) relates, saying, “Especially with Covid making school remote for half of my freshman year and all of my sophomore year, high school felt so fast. Looking back, the days seem slow but the years go by fast.” Tyler Yang (12) also agrees how short the unprecedented pandemic made his high school experience feel. “Even though some days seem like they’ll never end,” Lauren Han, a junior approaching her senior year, admits, “you’ll blink and years of high school will have already passed by.”  

With three years of high school under her belt and just one more to go, Lauren advises, “Trust me, I know how important grades and achievements are, and how much pressure there is! However, when you look back at high school, it’ll be those spontaneous late night drives, stupid jokes, or school dances that will stick in your memories. Work hard, but also take time to build your relationships with friends and family.” Senior Tyler urges remaining students to “maximize your experience as much as possible.” “Growth occurs outside the comfort zone,” he continues, “and there are so many opportunities to explore and experiment. Try new activities with different people, but also further old passions and friendships. Most importantly, keep everything in perspective and make time for the things that you’ll truly cherish in the far future.” Trying new experiences and leaving your comfort zone once in a while is an effective approach to experiencing high school in its fullest, an approach endorsed by Senior Anita. “Sometimes doing things you typically wouldn’t do turn out to be the most fun,” she elaborates, “like watching games, going to dances, or signing up for extracurriculars.” At the end of the day, these experiences will aid in achieving a more pleasurable high school career. Abby encourages students, “High school is only fun if you put in the effort. Go to all the dances, all the sports games, dress up on the dress up weeks, make good relationships with your teachers, and most importantly take it one day at a time.” Finally, she discloses a fundamental piece of advice: “Don’t get caught up in silly drama. Be yourself and if people don’t like that, who cares?”