Freshman Cate Goldman stands in front of the entrance to Clarke Central High School. Goldman recounts her experiences with the transition to high school and the differences between it an middle school. Photo by Katie Grace Upchurch.
Journalism I student Cate Goldman reflects on her expectations about high school and how they compare to the reality.
On the night before the first day of school, I panicked about everything. Where my classes were, what I would wear, how I would make a good first impression and more. Being a freshman, I thought high school was the biggest thing that had ever happened to me. But now it’s the second semester and turns out, it’s not that big of a deal after all.
The majority of my eighth grade year was spent listening to teachers tell me, “High school will not be this easy.” And yes, the classes are somewhat harder and I do stay up later to do homework, but it’s nothing compared to the way high school was exaggerated.
I was told the transition from middle school would be tough, and countless advisement hours were spent talking about being responsible and prepared for high school because of its incredibly demanding standards.
But we still get test corrections, extra credit can raise my bad grades and a lot of teachers don’t give excessive work simply because it is a lot to grade. High school’s actually not that different from middle school.
But it’s not just the coursework that’s different from my expectations, it’s the environment, too. I used to think homecoming and prom were these huge events everyone got super excited for. But after asking around, I was surprised to find out that a lot of people didn’t go to homecoming for various reasons, the number one being, “I don’t care.”
I knew that high school wouldn’t be the glamorized experience that most teenage movies portray, but I was still slightly disappointed that there isn’t much school spirit, most people only go to the homecoming and Cedar vs. Central football games, and school dances are fun, but not that big of a deal.
But it is a relief, too. The workload isn’t bad, and CCHS isn’t as hard to navigate as I initially thought. After almost all aspects about high school were over-exaggerated, I am relieved that nothing matters as much as I thought it would.
