no i would not ever go back to high school. HOWEVER college was a blast, and we have very fond memories of those years.
I’m rare, but I had a better time in HS than college. I disliked my huge flagship. In HS, I had consistent friends and respect. Much better times later in life.
Nope, would never go back to high school. Never.
Instead of pondering on what “should have” been done, enjoy the successes of what you’ve accomplished. Making mistakes is not important…learning from them is. It will shape the person you will become. Life is about the journey…not the destination.
So to answer your question, no I would not ask for a do over.
I loved high school and learned how to write and think there. I loved the experience of single sex education and the community of being a boarder senior year. If I had it to do over I’d take more science, I’d take Spanish instead of French, but I wouldn’t want a do over.
Now seventh grade? You couldn’t pay me enough to do that over!
Absolutely not. And go through all the heartache and distraction of first loves/breakups, as well as the other aspects of teen angst? No, thank you.
Would I like to have done some things differently? Yes. But, given the chance, I like and accept who I have become, and even the happiest days of my life are a result of all of those foolish, naive mistakes I made from 9th grade on.
And I loved my college years, too - those would have definitely been different if I’d made different choices in 9th grade. I wouldn’t trade the friendships I made in college for anything…
I have no desire to “fix” anything from my past, but if I could repeat high school with the knowledge and experience I have today, it could be very interesting.
The only thing I wish I could fix is to have my same parents but have them be more supportive of my college dreams. Since that wouldn’t happen, no way would I ever go back!
@Irishmomof2 ugh tell me about it. My parents are barely allowing me to choose my college and major. I barely even want to do electrical engineering but it was a compromise with my parents.
NO WAY! Every single HS reunion I’ve attended reminded me of how much happier I am now vs. then.
Could. Not. Get.Out.Of.There. Fast. Enough.
Senior year, I took a class at a local university (this is back in the days before Dual enrollment; you had to register on your own) and did an internship so I could leave school after a couple hours.
I had the same experience someone mentioned above. The kids who teased and quasi-bullied me in high school told me at a reunion how they admired me. Amazing. Couldn’t they have just said “hi”?
There were pros and cons about HS, just like there were pros and cons of every stage of my life.
So, Yes, I would go back if it meant that I could live another 30 years. Had no regrets.
Op said, “even though I probably could have gotten into a top tier school with all my knowledge now” Not necessarily, and would be very rare. Those are mystical and magical thoughts that make people feel regret, but I don’t think that outcomes would be different.
I really enjoyed high school. And undergrad. And masters. And PhD.
But one thing I would not repeat though is the MBA. That imbibed in serious simian rear end.
Every high school reunion reminds me of how many great people there were that I never got to know.
I learned in a philosophy class that if at any point in your life you would not happily want to relive your life to that point then you have not been living your life right. So, moving forward, you should spend your college years living in such a way. Many people spend their whole lives on a path of regret of their own making. (Note: not a parent but couldn’t help responding)
I’m probably one of those annoying positive people. I’ve enjoyed every single phase of my life. I’d do any of them again, but I can think of only a few things I’d actually do differently.
Okay, I take that back. I wouldn’t do seventh grade again.
I absolutely hated HS – I didn’t fit in socially and would never want to go back. I got into an Ivy and immediately felt like, “there are people like me here.” I enjoyed college, especially the last two years. I pushed incredibly hard in college, grad school, my first few jobs and am now at a place where I am really enjoying life (still working hard). Studies on happiness suggest that people become happier over time.
If I were to live those years again I wouldn’t waste it on school. Skinny nerdy boy = target.
I had a lot of fun in high school and I look back with fond memories. Every now and then I wondered what happened to so and so, but never really bother to find out. Mostly what I remember of high school is how hard I worked. I wouldn’t go back, no way. Life just keeps getting better as you get older.
I had a fine HS experience - lots of friends, decent grades, ECs that I enjoyed, a bit of BF drama. If I had to relive HS exactly the same way, I wouldn’t bother. But, if I could go back with all the knowledge that I have now, I would. I would take more risks, have more fun, not take myself so seriously, etc.