As a freshman I never thought that my high school years would go by so quickly. I was so excited to meet new friends and take advantage of everything that high school has to offer. On orientation day I remember meeting a lot of new people. I enjoyed going to school during my first year because there were a great deal of things to look forward to, such as the football games, pep rallies, homecoming week and the homecoming dance. My freshman year was a blast; I could not have asked for anything more.

Sophomore year felt as if I was a freshman again. I still had the same excitement for pep rallies and football games, while having my group of close friends to hang out with all the time. My classes continuously got more and more difficult as it went. But other than that, I really do not have anything bad to say about sophomore year.

Junior year, on the other hand, was a different story. I began to become bored with the whole high school thing by this time. It was the end of the summer and my friends and I were all dreading school. We were so over having to come to school every day; everything was the same every day. It just got boring: all the dances and pep rallies. Not to mention, I had to take the ACT that year. Junior year really forced me to start thinking about graduating early because high school was getting so old.

The summer going into senior year was amazing. It also made me think, do I really want to leave my friends a semester early? I decided a few weeks before the end of summer that I did want to graduate early. My parents thought it was a great idea and supported me the whole way through.  The first semester of senior year dragged on. I became more and more ready to get out. I did not want to go to homecoming or anything like that because it felt as if it was the same all four years. There are so many perks to leaving a semester early. I had the ability to get a head start on my education, while I also had the ability to work more hours. I think it also can give me a great view of what college life is like, so when the fall semester comes I know what to do and what not to do.  It also can give me the opportunity to focus on myself and my future.

I cannot wait to walk the stage at graduation and be with my friends one last time in our high school careers.

My plan for the future is to begin working full time, while also being a part-time student at College of Lake County. I am going to to be taking two classes at CLC in Grayslake and one online class. I decided that I want to get my general education courses out of the way at CLC before transferring to a four year university. I think graduating early will really benefit me in the long run. Also, I do not have to worry about a lot of debt since my gen eds won’t be at a four year school.

It has been a few days out of high school now and it feels sort of weird. I think the strangest part is that my friends still have to wake up super early in the morning to go to school, while I can sleep in until work.

It is important to me to still have time to spend with my friends. I start school in a few weeks and I believe I am ready to begin my journey into the real world. My life abruptly changed from being a senior in high school to a freshman in college. I think it will take some getting used to, at least for the first few weeks. College classes are going to be a lot more difficult than high school classes. I get to see my friends on the weekends so I will always have that to look forward to. High school was an eventful time to say the least, I am thankful for the experiences I was given and also all the friends I was able to make.