Incoherent Rant About My High School Experience: Why I Hated It, and Why I Look Forward to College

Pre-College Issues High School Life
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Disclaimer: I know a lot of people will disagree with this… but it’s kind of a personal thing. My high school experience was just really bad. This will most likely make me seem like an arrogant jerk as well, and I guess there’s no way around that. Enjoy?

I absolutely loathe high school. These last four years of my life have been, for the most part, miserable. Of course, I wouldn’t be the person I am today without the failures and the @#$% I’ve experienced, but you couldn’t pay me a million dollars to go through high school again. I rarely admit these things to anyone. Also, some of these are exclusive to the high school I attend. I realize that some of these may hold true for college as well. But I’m a lot more optimistic about college.

Dang. I can’t believe I actually looked forward to high school at one point in my life. I was a stupid eighth grader (let’s hope I’m not saying the same thing about high school a few years from now!).

I think I’ll just list everything that I hate.

I hate the fact that I have to take six classes, every single day, from 8 AM to 5 PM (because of extracurriculars after school), many of which I have no interest in or use for. I will probably forget all the meaningless things I learned the second I graduate.

I hate the kids who kiss up to teachers so they can inflate their grades or get a recc letter or something. It DISGUSTS me.

I hate my particular high school for it’s cutthroat environment and high academic standards that makes everyone patronize you for not taking the hardest classes or getting a 5.0 GPA, 2401 SAT, 800 on the Bio SAT right after freshman year, 800 on the Chem SAT right after sophomore year, for not taking two AP science classes in your junior year, for not participating in rigorous academic enrichment summer programs, and I hate the people who belittle the achievements of people who are not “above-average” in the ways I have listed above.

I hate being judged by people and the “popular kids” and the kids that brag about everything and the band-wagoners who think they are superior to everyone because they all do the exact same thing.

I hate having a crappy day at school (basically every day?) and coming home to my parents who will nag me about anything and everything, and then ask me to do a million chores.

I hate the fact that I have severe clinical anxiety because of all of this @#$% I’ve gone through in the last four years and the feeling of despair that I have to go back to school every morning.

I hate the fact that I have no real friends and how everyone will take advantage of you and when you need them they won’t be there for you but you’re always there for them.

I hate the total lack of maturity among high school kids and the drama over trivial things.

I hate the kids who will do certain extracurricular activities JUST FOR COLLEGE APPLICATIONS and have no true passion in something that I actually like to do and so they end up ruining the experience for me.

Why I look forward to college (based on college friends and what I’ve heard):

No one gives a flying F@#% about your high school GPA, whether or not you were homecoming king/queen, what extracurriculars you did, how popular you were, etc.

Your interests are slightly more aligned with the people at your school, and that alignment will increase when you choose your major and start taking classes exclusive to that major.

I don’t have to deal with my parents and I don’t have to do all of their chores and I don’t have to deal with our dysfunctional relationship (it’s tough to explain – my parents are my parents and they deserve respect for raising me, etc., but little else. you can rebuke me for this all you want but I can’t genuinely change my perspective about them).

INDEPENDENCE…

You get a fresh new start.

There are less immature kids.

There are more motivated students with a positive attitude.

You don’t have to go to 6+ classes a day, and wake up early in the morning, and you don’t have to take as many useless courses that you have no interest in.

In some ways, college is easier than high school (at least the high school I went to).

Ok I should probably go do homework or something now.

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Although I can see why you may hate your competitive high school, I would love that type of academic atmosphere over my school.

I go to one of the worst schools in my state, and it sucks. The students have absolutely no respect for anyone, and no desire for success. Our drop out rate is over 25%, and I don’t even want to consider the average GPA/SAT. I am confident that 99% of the kids at my school don’t even know what it takes to even get accepted into one college.

I understand your point of view, but don’t be quick to think a overly-competitive school is bad

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Just one question, and I mean it sincerely, not snidely.
If you plan to really be independent, who is going to do all those chores for you? All those things mom and dad want you to do, from bringing out the garbage to feeding the dog to emptying the dishwasher or doing a load of laundry… who is going to do all that for you now? Mom and dad won’t be nagging you, but they won’t be doing that stuff for you either.

As to the rest, deep breaths. There are lots of speeches I could give you, but I suspect you’re simply not in the mood for them. Know that every school has its share of all kinds of kids. But if your school is anywhere the size of the schools around here, there are other kids like you, too. Try, for these last few months, to find and connect with some of those kids.

The best of luck to you.

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@1whatsmyname1‌ – You know, I sometimes I wish I went to your sort of school so I could stand out at the top. I could respond by saying: don’t be quick to think an underly-competitive school is bad. We have never experienced the opposites of our respective high schools, so we don’t know how it really would be. I get what you’re saying though.

@bjkmom‌ – A lot of the chores that they make me do are not things that a college student living in a dorm would have to do. I think I should make something clear: I do all of my own chores that apply to me. I am a very clean and organized person – I clean my room and and do my laundry on my own. My mom rarely does any of my own chores for me. My house, particularly my parents’ room, is very cluttered and often times they make me do their chores because they’re “too busy with work.”
My school isn’t very large, and I basically know everyone in my class. There aren’t many kids I can truly connect with unfortunately.

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Yea I guess. Anyways, I’m super excited for
college too so good luck!

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Is there a way to participate in a dual enrollment plan with the local community college? It gives you the schedule you like, the ability to choose your professors and a way to get a jump on lower priced college classes? Even if it is just for your last quarter?

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I go to a similar high school as well, and I hate it. I love my friends, and I’ve had some amazing teachers over the years, but it honestly pisses me off when people around me cheat to get the highest grade and take classes they don’t like (and then complain when they’ve got a B+) and when people do it just for the GPA and college apps. I don’t do any ECs I don’t like, yet it seems I’m in the minority at my high school. People think I’m annoying because I like answering questions in class. I know exactly how you feel, and I most definitely cannot wait for college.

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College is better. Most of what you have listed about college is true, however you will have to deal with your parents when you go back during breaks and it is important to leave off on a positive note so you are not in for a rude awakening when you get home. It depends on the college of course, and there are some people that will be just as immature or competitive, but college is a big place and you’ll have plenty of choices for people to hang out with.

However, several points in your post concerns me. Have you gone to counseling for your severe clinical anxiety? That could be a main part in feeling the way you do and getting help is an important part of dealing with your feelings. Also, having someone to talk to is sometimes nice to blow off steam or to feel like someone else understands you. They can offer you advice and assistance with your situation as well with your parents

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@shawnspencer‌ – Thanks for the confirmation. I will definitely never leave on a bad note. My parents are the ones funding my education, living costs, etc. that would make me a spoiled brat lol. And YES, I definitely am going to pick a BIG college, not a small one with 2000-4000 people, I’m thinking like 30K+.

Yes, I did therapy every week for a few months. It was really nice to talk to someone who could listen to me and I actually mentioned a lot of the worries about high school and why it’s so miserable for me. But we stopped doing therapy because of some issues with our insurance or something. We agreed that if, when second semester starts, I don’t notice any improvements, then we will continue therapy again and we might even consider medication. And I was probably a bit wrong about not having any friends. There are like maybe 2-3 people I can talk to at school who understand me, but it’s never really a deep conversation. And the situation with my parents is reaaalllly complex and I don’t want to get into it. Trying to fix it would cause bigger problems. I feel like the only way to heal it is to leave for a few months.

Tomorrow, my school’s first semester ends (we start school later than most other schools) and I will officially be a second semester senior. I have one less super time consuming EC that was only for first semester and a lot of my teachers are a bit more lenient second semester. Plus, I finished all of my college apps!! Hopefully I can breeze through this semester and get acceptances to decent schools.

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@topaz1116 I completely understand what you are going through, too. I ask questions that really do make sense and are great questions, but since I don’t do any of the work with the same methods as my teacher teaches, the teachers and students usually get confused and eventually upset. I have pretty much become a laughingstock when it comes to asking questions because since almost every student says something like “Oh boy, here he goes again”, that starts rubbing off on the teacher, and he/she starts feeling that way, too.

As you can see, I have a lot to say, too. High school sucks. One guy seriously called me out in the middle of class, out loud that when I go to college, I’ll be studying not, “getting laid”. Sometimes, you just gotta shake your head at the incompetents and move on. I know it will get better. I generally get along better with slightly more mature people (probably people in their early 20s?) anyway.

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You have some valid reasons for hating high school. In general, even for those popular kids, they look back and realize that high school sucks. It’s tough, you’re expected to act like an adult, yet you’re treated like a kid. Days are full of the same repetitive crap, and the extreme shallowness is often unbearable. I’m still in high school, but just like you, I know that college is better. If you can, try to look at the positives of high school, that’s what I do and it get’s me through the days. Though high school might seem like the worst thing ever, it’s a good time to reflect on yourself and really figure out what you want for yourself in the future.

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My mom said that kids who have bad times in high school are the ones who have the best times in college. I hope that happens for you! I think it will! Are you going to a big university or a small college? also, is your high school in a little town?

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@GreyGarvin‌ - That’s EXACTLY what I’m hoping will happen for me! I’m 99% sure that I’m going to go to a very big university, at least 25-30k (or more) students. My high school is fairly small, about 2k students, and the city isn’t very big. It’s, for the most part, a quiet town. I would say almost all of the schools I applied to are in major cities and/or have over 30k enrollment.

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My school has the same problem with extreme competitiveness as you do, and part of the reason I hate it is because it doesn’t truly feel like the expected “high school” experience- there’s no childishness or relaxation at all. I’d love to go to a party once in a while or have a conversation with a classmate that’s not about homework/getting in to college/grades.

That’s not to say I hate studying. I love learning stuff from the curriculum and I don’t really mind the “useless” subjects because I don’t think it’d hurt to learn them. It actually really bugs me when people have perfect grades and complain about taking that one required course because it brings down their GPA, making it pretty clear that they’re just studying for the grade and it’s hard to admire them.

It’s pretty shitty (save for a couple of close friends) no matter how I see it, but I’m not sure if the atmosphere will even change in the colleges I’m looking at, that have required courses freshman year.

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Well, I hope you find peace in your new life. So tell me - if you ever get married and have kids, would you consider home schooling them? :wink:

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@albert69‌ I hope so too…
No. I will make them attend a school that is not so competitive, where they can stand out instead of having no life. There needs to be a balance between academics and other things.

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Se1997, when you know your choices, be careful to select a school that is not filled with hyper-competitive students whose only interest is their grades. I’ve noticed that “top” students who made it through high school by simply competing for grades continue that mentality in college. But those types are more prevalent in some schools than in others. It isn’t a matter of how selective the college is. It’s not as if those types are more common in very selective schools. It is more a matter of how “pre-professional” the student body is. Go for a school where students take courses because they are interesting to them rather than because of the grade they are likely to get if they take certain courses rather than others. Good luck and sorry your high school experience has not been good. You are probably right about being ready to move on!

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It’s in the worst of experiences that the greatest lessons are to be learned.
A Jewish concentration camp prisoner wrote a famous book recounting his horrific experiences…But even as he was being tortured by Nazis, he managed to find positivity and value.
Every negative event contains within it a seed of positivity, hope, and great potential for growth.
What can you learn from your high school experience? About yourself, people, the world around you…? What are you grateful for? For when we focus on those things, they amplify and become more.

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The only good thing about high school is new people and girls lol, but math and english are good

then again, high school relationships don’t last

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@Anish14 College girls are a lot better