By: Kaela Halvorson @Kaelswhales [Design Editor] As students get older and farther into their school years, they become a lot less grateful for everything that is done for them. Yes, it would be wonderful know what the future will be like, but there are a lot more responsibilities when teenagers become adults. Students need to understand that high school is the time to make the change into an adult and enjoy these last few years that they don’t have to do everything on their own. Students in high school just bypass the thought of how much their parents help them throughout their whole life. They buy food, clothing, and some even wash laundry for their kids. In college, when teenagers are on their own, no one will be there to do any of that. Buying groceries is just one of the big responsibilities left on students’ shoulders, which means that they may have to get a job to pay for things themselves. Also, if they decide to not live in the dorms and instead move into an apartment, they have renting cost to worry about, and maybe even heating and air conditioning. When high school students are home, they have everything paid for them. These new priorities make it seem like the first year of college will be full of students learning how to care for themselves. While in high school, parents are controlling of what is done, but they have it for a certain reason, to keep their child safe. With students being on their own they have to make those smart choices for themselves. Going out on the weekends and or every night will not be a thing in college. Homework, working, and trying to stay social with friends in college is a struggle. In high school, kids can go out and sneak by not doing homework, and think that college is easy. Students should enjoy the time left they have to do that, because in college this time will be cut to a minimum. Adore the secondary school years because when graduation comes everything will change. Everything teenagers decide to do is their choice and no one can help them out of their troubles. Yes, parents will always be there but this is the time that parents will start releasing the grip on their child. Students need to step up and know how to manage things well before the college years appear.
![While high school days draw near, students should prepare for the new field of college.](https://mhsvoxonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/December-4-300x150.jpg)
Ferg • Dec 4, 2014 at 3:07 pm
This is a very mature thought process, Kaela – sounds like someone who is already thinking about the next phase – and your message is spot on – you’re only young once and appreciate it while you have it!