Being in high school means being subjected to a variety of emotions and experiences. It can either be the best 4 years of your life or the worst, and only you can determine which one you’ll get. As a senior in high school, I’ve learned some tips and tricks on how to survive high school without crashing and burning.

As cool as it may seem to skip out on class or not pay attention, it really just comes back to bite you in the end. Not doing your homework and procrastinating is something that every teenager does (including myself), but it’s not a good thing. Work can pile up on you before you know it, and then you have to spend a whole night doing all of your work at once. It sounds easier, but trust me. Not to sound like a stickler, but doing your homework the night you get it takes a lot of stress off of you, and gives you more time to do stuff you actually want to do.

High school friendships and relationships may seem like the most important part of your life at the moment, but in all reality, none of it matters when you graduate. Unless you find someone that you have a special bond with, and you can be your true self around them, most of your relationships in high school will end after a few months. Sorry to be blunt, but it’s true. Fake friends in high school will stab you in the back to boost their reputation if they think it’s necessary. You don’t have to have a lot of friends or a cute boyfriend to survive high school. In my opinion, it’s more fun with just a few close friends.

Being yourself is the best thing you can do to ensure your high school experience will be anything but miserable. Popularity in high school won’t matter when you graduate, and it could come back to bite you if you’re not careful. Trying to mask your real personality to make friends is a sure way to make yourself miserable. When you act like someone else, people who don’t know you for you will become your friends. This is how fake friends are made, and how your reputation can plummet. Fake friendships cause problems like rumors, heartbreak, and isolation. As much as all of those things always will be a part of high school, you can take action to prevent it from happening as often by just being yourself.

As annoying as freshmen can appear to seniors, we don’t wish the worst on them. I don’t want anyone to have a bad high school experience, because if it’s good, you’ll remember it for the rest of your life. The main thing to remember is just being yourself. You can coast through high school with several solid friendships and relationships if everyone knows you’re true to yourself and honest with others. With that in mind, don’t let being liked get to your head, because peaking in high school is an even worse experience. But, as long as you stay honest, friendly, and do your work, high school should be a breeze. And trust me, graduation will be here before you know it.