Should I be nervous about graduating high school?

Yes, you should. Real life begins after high school. Time to (seriously!) grow up, if you haven’t already. (No offense intended.) Good luck!

You’d be even more nervous if you weren’t graduating—right?

Don’t worry, big changes unsettle a lot of us, but again—that’s better than being stuck forever where you are right now.

Through the years of school, you have made friends. Sometimes there have been changes in who was included in your assortment of friends.
It is your support system. They understand how to comfort you, encourage you, humor you.
Soon you face life without these companions constantly around you.
It is a little like leaving the house without jacket, scarf, umbrella when you know there is a chance of rain.
Of course you are nervous.
Remember this, a doctor can save a life, an actor can give a brilliant performance, a ship can be brought safely to port, even if no friends are there to cheer people on.
Feeling scared does not mean you will fail. It simply means you are mature enough to understand what awaits you is important.
Yes, the entire world is much bigger than you. Yes, that is scary. Just don’t let your fear unravel you.

It’s normal to be nervous, but just think of it this way, millions of people do this every year, and you can to. Probably, when you first started middle school or high school you were nervous too, and then within a week it was comfortable.

You’re going to Oklahoma state, that isn’t quite the real world yet, you will still be in school. Most people have a lot of fun in college, and make friends for life. My money is on you loving it at Oklahoma State.

What are you most afraid of? Leaving your parents? They will be just a phone call away. Leaving your friends? You will make friends fast. Are you living in the dorms? Living in the dorms is like a constant sleepover party. My college friends and I fantasize about retiring and living in a building like a dorm where we can all be just down the hall from each other again, it was great. Are you nervous about getting around campus? Study the map of the campus (I think a real paper map is best, although you can coordinate that with your gps, I found this pdf you can print https://parking.okstate.edu/sites/default/files/maps/MarkUpParkingMap_CW_10122018_0.pdf) and if you’re very worried visit your classrooms a day or two before school starts, do the walk or bus ride from your dorm to class. If you figure out what you’re afraid of, you can address it so you aren’t so afraid.

Act responsibly and everything will be fine. Some kids mess up their first semester by partying too much, not focusing on their studies, and not going to class. Don’t do that. Don’t take this bit of freedom from your parents and go wild. College gives you the chance to make friends with a group that really suits you, you luckily are going to a large university. There is much less peer pressure, because you are an adult now, and you can truly become an automous, independent person. Your peers are adults too, and they know nothing about you, you have no baggage with them.

I bought student season football tickets with my roommate even though I don’t care much about sports. I loved it, it was so much fun sitting in the student section. Maybe that would be fun for you too. I didn’t drink even though many of my new friends did. They didn’t care. In high school I avoided going out with drinking friends, and I was lonely at times, but in college everyone is more mature and less judgmental. You do only what you want to do.

Use the buddy system if you go to parties. Make sure you have a friend with you, and you both watch out for each other.

Don’t overload yourself the first semester. Take at least one class that sounds interesting and fun if you can. If you have any control over your schedule book classes that suit your sleep habits. I hate getting up early, so I booked nothing before 10:00. I didn’t mind eating lunch at other dorms, some kids did. Some kids loved getting classes done early and having the rest of the day. Remember you are on a big campus, so there is travel time to consider. As a freshman sometimes there isn’t much choice though, you can only manipulate your schedule so much.

You’re an adult now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t ask your parents or other adults for help. If you have questions let the adults around you help you, but in the end it will be up to you to do the work.

I’m going to answer your question by saying in my opinion it’s way better out there as an adult than being a kid.

Any major change in life is unnerving!!! You just need to face it head on & make the BEST of what life throws at you. It’s NOT the problems you face that makes you, it HOW you handle those problems that makes you stronger!!! Go into life with the attitude that you’re going to be the BEST you that you can be & you should be just fine!!! Yes, there will be some problems, but there will be just as many solutions…YOU create the solutions!!!

It is ok to be nervous, changes to our routine do that to our systems. You might find it unnerving but remember you are only a phone call away from your friends and family if you need a quick boost.

And over the years I have found that the prior dread is usually much worse than what actually occurs.

@filmfann My daughter is graduating from high school and she can’t spell for shit. She relies on spellcheckers. They don’t make them like they used to in our day.

Be Bold. Things are going to be new and different. There will be a lot of things that will be challenges for you, but there will be a lot of rewards as well. You are growing up and entering another phase of your life. Enjoy it and find the fun in life!

I was just excited to graduate high school. I spent that whole summer after graduation on a high. It was only after the first week of living in the dorms that the nervousness started to hit me and I began to feel homesick and shocked by the change. Not trying to freak you out, but that’s what happened to me. It was made easier by living with a good friend (and attending college not far from where my parents lived), but it took a while to get accustomed to the new way of life. It is a major change. For most of us it means leaving home after living with parents for 18 years and knowing nothing else.

Despite that initial shock, I enjoyed my four years of college and missed it greatly after I left.

@Demosthenes ” I spent that whole summer after graduation on a high” Funny…I spent pretty much all of high school high.

Maybe. After all, the rehearsals are over and the show is about to start.
But you can’t go back.

Thank you guys so much. This has really helped a lot. =D

Fear of the unknown is perfectly normal. I think, in this case, there is also a fear of failure. That means that you care about success. That’s good.

Honestly, I hated high school. I loved college. It’s a completely different animal. This is the time to polish your thinking skills. Open your mind, and drink the knowledge like a river. Your brain won’t be fully developed until your early 20’s. So now is an important time in your life. You will be laying the foundation for the rest of your life. Try to see this as exciting, not daunting.
I’m excited for you. Education, and knowledge are power. Become a powerful human, and be a great addition to your world. College is your runway, you’ll be flying before you know it!

Good luck.

Peace n love.