Show of hands. Who among you spent their early teenage years trying to blend in with the crack on the floor, cursing high school into eternal damnation? I certainly did. High school was not the best years of my life and in fact everything I did in high school was a mockery of my existence.
Not to play the blame game but, high school made me hate myself. According to their narrow-minded standards, I wasn't good enough. Schools have this tendency to measure our worth through math and science. Like painting or dancing, math and science requires a little talent to "perfect"--a talent I did not possess. Needless to say, I blamed myself for not being able to excel in these subjects. I grew up thinking that I was stupid.
I found a picture on 9GAG that can best explain the reason for my hatred for high school:
My parents were no help either. I'm sure a lot of us have parents who disapprove of us taking--er, unconventional courses which include: photography, fashion design, interior design, production design, animation and so on. They always hoped that somewhere inside of us was a little doctor or lawyer waiting to come out.
But not all of us can be doctors and lawyers and businessmen. I can't. So, I didn't. I couldn't watch myself live in denial, forcing myself to do something I know I was not meant to do. Instead I chose to be happy.
HOW TO BE HAPPY (at least as far as college goes)
This is based on my personal experience when I first entered college a year ago. They may not necessarily hold true for you. Though I hope it helps.
Go to college
College: ideas, life and freedom. There you can think about anything and let your mind work the way you want it to and not how society dictates it to. Some people think that it may be a waste of time. Why wait in another educational institution before you can start your life? What most people don't understand about college, me included, is that college isn't all about graduating and getting a job. It helps you find yourself. Surrounded by hundreds of other people of different races, religions, point of views, passions--you unconsciously find your own passions, your own goals. College gives you an opportunity to find what you really want. But when you do go to college please do
Choose wisely
Don't go to college for their name or for their prestige. Go to a college because they can offer you the most--because they can feed whatever passion you pursue in life. In the end you'll find yourself enjoying more than you thought you would. I myself am enrolled in a school known for being the school for the "drop-outs who are rich enough to pay for the tuition fee" Of course, none of that is true just like how every label given to you in high school was not true. I guess to understand something, you really must experience them. I have never met more down-to-earth people--real people who don't care about how they dress; who let their actions and talent speak their worth; who see life more than the numbers and the grades on your papers. In short, choose a college that see your worth through what you can do and not with what you can't do.
Participate!
Part of my suffering in high school happened because I allowed myself to overlooked. Join something. Do something in your spare time whether a sport or an organization. Be seen. Be heard. I know its hard to let go of time spent with friends for fun parties and beds for oversleeping but the feeling of accomplishment gives you a long term happiness: your accomplishments will be yours forever. This can never compare to the momentary relief found in alcohol and loud music.
Meet new people
Being in college is great because you get to meet greater people. And when you do: be open to meet them! The beauty of a human individual is that everyone can so be different that each person is like a new adventure. Keep an open mind when meeting new friends and you'll be rewarded with a life full of characters.
Be extraordinary
I am in love with our school motto--if that's what you call it and I think its a idea worth living by. Doing ordinary things extraordinarily well. People seem to forget that being extraordinary does not mean climbing Mt. Everest or building a rocket ship and flying to the moon. Being extraordinary can come from the most ordinary of places. It can be as simple as taking a photo or sketching a face--it doesn't matter what you do, but how you do it.
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