Advice for High School Graduates

What is your best advice for high school graduates? What do you wish you would have known when you graduated from high school? I asked friends, family, and readers, and here are the gems they came up with. There is so much great wisdom here- even for me, as I navigate my 40’s! Please add your own advice in the comments!

At the end of this post, I’ll include a printable of all this great advice, if you’d like to pass it on to a grad in your life.

The Future

• First of all, YOU’VE GOT THIS!
• Up to now, your life has been a lot like being on an escalator. Your path has largely been decided for you and as long as you hang on, you generally continue to progress. But sooner or later that escalator is going to stop and you’ll have to put forth more effort and make more difficult decisions than ever before. You’ll always have the love and support of your friends/ family, but your progress will be up to you. Don’t be the person that wastes their life stuck on the escalator, just waiting for someone to save them. (For a great visual, check out this fantastic video clip.
• Find the good and be the good!
• Your capabilities are as big as your heart and your effort!
• It’s always going to be scary making big decisions! But living a life you don’t love is scarier!
• If you don’t like where your story is leading you, take another path!
• Do things NOW. Procrastination will rob you of your life. You will look back with regrets.

Dating

• You CAN fall in love with the wrong person-they forget to mention that in fairy tales! Your job is to be strong enough to wait for the right person. (That’s not always easy- but worth it!)
• While you’re dating someone, remember this is the best they’re ever going to treat you. If it’s not enough now, it won’t be enough later.
• When you marry, make sure you and your soon-to-be spouse love God more than each other. You will eventually have times that are hard, where you won’t like each other very much. (But it will get better again!) When this happens, commitment to God makes sure that you will each treat each other well, no matter what your emotions are like. Domestic abuse, affairs, etc. are much less likely to happen when God is first in a person’s life.

Smart Living

• The smartest person in the room is the peacekeeper.
• Do the dishes! You never know who is going to come over or how your schedule will change, so if you have a second, get them done!
• Be the person who only has good things to say about others when they’re not there.
• Like yourself!
• If you’re worried about what someone will think about you, just know they’re too worried about what others are thinking about them! So just have fun!
• This too shall pass. The sad feelings, the bad breakup, the college finals, the fun and happy times as well. So don’t wish time away, find gratitude and joy in the present moment, and learn all you can from each situation.
• Call your mom at least twice a week.
• Don’t always eat out.
• Make new friends.
• Meet new people but don’t forget where you come from.
• Save a percentage of your money- even if you are super poor.
• Be a good roommate: be clean, don’t eat other people’s food.

Spirituality

• When you are feeling stressed, make more time for God in your life. To reduce stress, turn to the Savior.
• The coolest thing you can do is never being afraid to do what’s right. Others will be grateful to you for it and look up to you because of it.
• You will never regret holding on to your values in the long run (even though it might seem like a good idea in the moment). If you compromise them, you will always regret it.

School

• Don’t go to college with a boyfriend or girlfriend.
• Join a club or philanthropy that interests you.
• Do study abroad!
• Have a plan for school- it’s too expensive not to.
• If you were in gifted classes when you were in school, you very well might not know how to study, because you could just power through with a great memory. Your learning curve might actually be harder than those who learned how to study earlier.
• Find a place where you can focus…for me it was the law library (I wasn’t studying law). It was quiet, and there was a lot of room to spread my notes out.
• You will feel like you have a lot more free time in college. That time is actually there for you to study the coursework since there’s no homework time in class anymore.
• At the same time, go to football games (or basketball, or soccer, or gymnastics). Learn the fight song.
• Swallow your pride and go to the TA labs for help. They’re getting paid to help you, and as a TA, I really enjoyed helping others figure things out.
• There will always be someone in each class who is a genius at that subject. Don’t worry if it’s not you.
• Some people like to get their general education classes done in their first year while they figure out their major. I personally enjoyed having a general Ed class among all of my other harder courses…helped keep me sane.
• Lastly, college or trade school is supposed to be training you for your future career. You need the classes. They don’t need you. No one cares if you skip. Only you suffer.
• Embrace your inner geek about your subject. Don’t worry about what others think, and embrace the learning. One cool thing about college—different from high school—is that most everyone wants to be there. Enjoy that spirit of learning and growth.
• HAVE FUN!
  

To get a free printable of this advice, click here.

What advice would you add for our graduates? Please share in the comments!