What I Would've Wished I Knew Before Starting High School

Top 5 Advice on High School

A few weeks prior, I had the honor of catching up with a good high school friend. From our conversation, one of the many questions we tried answering was: If we were to start over high school again, what would we do differently? What should we capitalize on? Here, I’ve compiled a brief list of what I would wish I had known before high school - this is not an exhaustive list, as I may post a more comprehensive one when I actually graduate high school in approximately half a year.

1. Diverge, then converge: So often, one of the biggest (and sometimes the most stressful) questions we ask ourselves is: What should I focus on? The best advice that has worked for me and for many others begins with divergence - trying out as many things as possible and seeing what you enjoy or don’t - and then convergence - once you find the thing you have even a slight interest in it - zero in on it and be the best at it… which leads into my next advice.

2. To be one of the best at what you do, practice deliberate practice: This cannot be stressed enough. To be at your A-game at your craft requires consistent effort over a span of months and years and continually seeking feedback/improvement from mentors around you. If I were to put this into an equation, it’ll be something like this: consistent effort + high-quality mentorship.

3. Quality > Quantity: This applies to many things in life, but I want to focus on friendships. It’s better to have 3 close friends than 100 acquaintances. Once you pick the select few that genuinely bring the best out of you, your high school experience (and overall in life) will be exponentially better. Find those people, and once you do, spend time with them. Like many relationships, commitment is king.

4. Find a stress-relieving activity: According to the American Psychological Association, Gen Z is credited as the most ‘stressed-out’ generation in America - and that may be partly due to the pandemic. Therefore, find an activity where you can release such stress, especially as teenagers, when we already have a lot on our plates. For most stress-relieving activities, it comes in the form of art or sports.

5. You think you know everything, but you don’t know anything: I’m going to say it pretty bluntly: as teenagers, we sometimes think we’re the kings/queens of the world. But the fact is… we don’t. There is so much out there we have no idea about. Embrace a mindset of a student early on (this applies to post-formal education years, too - after all, learning doesn’t stop after school), and let your curiosities take the lead.

For my high school/college readers, let me know in the comments some of your top advice on this topic. Would love to hear your thoughts!