I couldn’t wait to graduate high school in 2010, but looking back, there are some things I definitely believe I took for granted.
1. Structured Schedule
Going to school from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. everyday, five days a week used to seem like the most boring, mundane things in high school. But now, I would love more than anything to have that structure back in my life. Sure, being able to not have class on Fridays is great, but when I have a 9 a.m. class and then nothing until my three hour class at 7 p.m., it’s hard to convince myself the class is worth attending.
2. No Wait Listing
In high school, there was no such thing as a wait list. My counselor planned out my schedule for me. The work was on them. Even though we had to take courses that we would seemingly never use again, at least we were guaranteed a full schedule of classes no matter what. Things have gotten easier with PolyPlanner; it helps you map out the courses you need in order to graduate by interfacing with your Degree Progress Report (DPR), pre-populating with courses already taken, and listing the courses you need to complete for your major.
3. Friend Availability
The nice thing about everyone having the same school hours was being able to make plans with your friends. There was no weird working around schedules, homework was generally the same and you could work together because most teachers taught the same classes. The biggest difficulty was working around friends who played sports, but usually practice was right before or after school. Nowadays, I’m just lucky I have friends that work on campus that I can socialize with.
4. Gym
The worst part of high school… but now also the best? Even though our facilities at the Bronco Recreation and Intramural Complex (BRIC, Bldg. 42) are top of the line, it seems like it gets harder and harder to work out everyday. Gym was the one time of day that was a guaranteed workout period during the day. If you were lucky to have it last period, you didn’t even have to worry about getting sweaty, and you could work out as hard as you wanted. If you’re looking for a “gym class,” sign up for a Group Fitness class at the BRIC (Bldg. 42).
5. SENIORity
Who didn’t band together with their friends to make those awful sweatshirts reading “SEN10RS”, “13OSS (boss)”, “09 So Fine”? When you’re on a college campus, it’s hard to tell who’s even a senior! “You transferred after three years of community college, but you have two years left… so you’re like a…” You’re basically in the real world now; seniority is only a thing when you’re looking for workplace advancement.
6. Lockers
A centrally located place to store things? YES PLEASE. The walk between campus and the parking structure is just too far to justify storing books, lunch and workout clothes. Sometimes I come to school looking like a pack mule because of how many things I’m going to need during the day. I miss the good ol’ days where I could keep snacks in my locker and have something to nom on when I want.
What are some things you miss from high school? Let us know using #CampusCropChat on our Associated Students, Inc. (ASI) Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
