“Don’t be so hard on yourself and do what makes you happy. It is super easy to compare yourself to others and get stressed about what you should have done or what you could have done. Instead, worry about the present and strive to be your best self, only you know what that is.”

– Summer Gaines-Wheeler

“Chill out. High school can be stressful, but just relax. Do what makes you happy. Be friends with who you want to be friends with. Stop worrying about what other people are doing. Cut toxicity out. Don’t take life so seriously. Don’t dwell on mistakes; grow from them. These four years go by fast, so don’t take anything for granted.”

– Janey Matejka

“I would tell my freshman self to be more outgoing and instead of thinking that high school events were cringey, to appreciate them instead.”

– Francesca Caruso

“Just wait till what happens senior year.”

– Taft Lewis

“There is more to life than golf.”

– Brian Joseph

“Don’t be so emotionally connected to social media. Time really does fly by and it is so nice to just look back on all of the real and authentic high school memories instead of realizing that the media played a huge part. Realizing how much time you actually spend on your device.”

– Cammi Avery

“Quit baseball and join ultimate frisbee.”

– Sam Dorfman

“Abandon your pride and sense of shame, they won’t help you here. Also drop down in math. Oh and learn to cut toxic people out of your life.”

– Anya Polonsky

“In 10 years you won’t remember staying in on a Friday night studying for a math test, but you might remember a crazy night with your friends.”

– Zoe Ray

“Do some college work in the summer before senior year.”

– Julia Zwick

“I wish that I would have given myself room to breathe and be open to try new things without rushing to conclusions about what I inherently thought my life destiny should be. It is so important to take risks and understand that anyone has the power to explore anything they desire. As much as the structured nature of academia can limit our time to step out of our comfort zone, I wish I understood that high school is your playground to grow and mature around people you care about.”

– Andrew Moerschel

“Don’t wear that outfit!! If you’re going to wear sweatpants to school then make it cute and please pair it well!”

– Katie Miller

“Don’t compare yourself to others academically because at the end of the day you’re going to graduate with the same diploma as everyone else.”

– Janie Rudolph

“Grades matter. Push yourself.”

– Payton Marshall

“Do not skip or miss as many days as you want to. Do not go home early. It goes by way too fast. Enjoy every second.”

– Catherine Flood

“It’s ok to be on your own, you don’t always have to follow your friends. It’s important to be independent and get to know yourself and what makes you happy :)”

– Charlotte Loehr

“Do your own thing. Find what interests you and try new things and meet new people. Take advantage of every opportunity and don’t let the fear of not knowing anyone stop you.“

– Eden Snower

“Just stop. Stop overthinking this. You’re fine, nobody hates you. Nobody is looking that closely at you.”

– Emma Friedman

“Transfer.”

– Jeremy Wint

“Never would I have guessed that I’d be in America when I was a Freshman, nor would I guess that my last few months of senior year would be in quarantine. I’d tell my Freshman self to appreciate the little things in life, whether it’s walking around the city or simply going to school. I’d tell my Freshman self to stay present, because the present is all you have. I’d tell my Freshman self to not stress too much, because everything that happened formed me, everything I did discovered me, and everywhere I go becomes a part of me.”

– Saskia Simorangkir

“Don’t join every club just to put on your college application. Do what you are actually passionate about: that’s already more than enough to fill up your 10 Common App extracurricular slots.”

– Anna Shah

“Go to therapy, join some more clubs, drink coffee/stop falling asleep in math class.”

– Caroline Bennett

“Don’t act like an idiot.”

– Connor Walker

“Try everything. Trust me, by senior year, you’ll either be super glad you tried different classes and clubs or regret that you didn’t.”

– Zachary Stein

“Drop out of math.”

– Emma Mansour

“College acceptance letters are not the golden ticket to life.”

– Bella Merrick