It is stereotypical. People see it in movies, how one’s life can change drastically throughout the course of high school. The friendships made, and others broken. The process of growing up, happens to everyone.

I came into my freshman year with my middle school friends. A close knit bond with a group of girls I thought I would never lose. I was also overwhelmed with the feeling of freedom, and how relaxed teachers acted in the classroom.

  Phones were another factor, the idea that students could actually text in some classes blew me away. Upperclassmen would tell me that lockers are basically useless, and that is why everyone just walked around with book bags.

  One thing that no students or teachers warn freshmen about is the size of the school, and how much actual walking is involved. I remember feeling so embarrassed due to the number of  upperclassmen in some of my classes, and how I was definitely not prepared, or understand, the “Go home, freshmen” chant.  Besides the fact that students did not need to walk in straight lines, and that teachers did not care half the time where you were headed to after their class, I was in high school! It was the pure excitement of growing up.

  Four years have passed since then. I understand the “Go home, freshmen” chant, and gladly participate in it. I only talk to one of the girls who was a part of my original friend group, but have found people I do not know how I lived without before. Never have I used a locker assigned to me, and I still trudge my way to Etowah East every day with my book bag. I text my teachers off the Remind 101 app, just to see them reply to me in class. It was different, I struggled; there were lots of tears, but high school gets to the best of us.

  Applying to colleges brings back the same middle school fear of picking electives. Am I making the right decision? Is this what I truly want? Will I be happy? But history tends to repeat itself, and if it is anything like my first transition, I know everything will be okay.