Throughout my high school career, I’ve gotten a lot of advice from older classmates and parents telling me how to live my life. Some I listened to, but like many of my peers, some advice was forgotten. Here are the top 10 things people told me about high school that I wish I had listened to:

• Freshman year matters

During freshman year, the future feels so far away. It is easy to slack off and forget that your GPA still counts. Don’t!

• Junior year is hell

I really thought people were overreacting when they said this. How much harder could it be from sophomore year? Much. Harder.

• Take the classes you want to take

I worried so much about what colleges would want to see on a transcript, that I forgot to take some classes that I wanted to try. So what if I don’t take orchestra for all four years if it makes me miserable?

• Getting rejected from your number one college choice is not the end of the world

I wanted to believe this when I was curled up in a ball, eating Ben and Jerry’s. You will end up where you need to be, and sometimes that is not where you thought you’d end up.

• Don’t go to a school just for the name

I’ll admit that I put some schools on my list that I knew nothing about except for their prestigious name. Even when I told people where I had received acceptance and was considering, they would say “that one has the best name,” but the best name may not be the best for you.

• Start studying for the SAT/ACT early and start your college applications early

I knew I should have done this. I had a study plan and everything, but things never go according to plan, do they? When I submitted an application at 11:59 PM for a midnight college application deadline, I realized my procrastination method was not the best.

• Don’t freak out about prom

“I won’t have a prom date!” is a phrase uttered by many girls throughout high school. Many of these girls end up getting asked in adorable ways. Even if someone does not get asked, she can ask a junior or someone that graduated or a friend. Everyone can find a date somehow. Similarly, there is no need to freak out about who has your dress and how you do your hair. It is one night. Sit back and enjoy it.

• Not everyone goes to parties or has fun constantly

Flipping through Instagram on the weekend, it would appear that everyone has a more glamorous life. They go to parties and listen to concerts in the city. Not everyone does this, we just only see the people that do. It’s okay to stay home and watch Netflix one weekend. On a similar note, don’t wait around for someone to ask you to hang out. Reach out yourself.

• Worry about yourself

When class rank came out, everything became more competitive. I suddenly because more aware of how I stacked up to other people. I’ve since found out that people who I thought were way smarter than I was and made me feel self-conscious about my academic abilities, were actually right around me in class rank. Don’t let people intimidate you or make you feel badly about yourself. In ten years, you will not brag about what class rank you were in high school or what SAT/ACT scores you received, and if  you do, you have not accomplished enough with the rest of your life.

• Enjoy it and don’t blink. It will go by fast.

During the sophomore year slump, every day seemed like an eternity. Now looking back, these past four years (mostly senior year) have flown by. I feel like a lot of people look at high school as a stepping stone towards college, and cannot wait to leave. Still, many college kids tell us to enjoy our senior year because they miss it.

Hopefully someone listens to my two cents, but as I said,  I never did so I can’t entirely blame you for making your own mistakes.