Have you ever been asked, or asked someone, “How’s high school?” Did you or the person you asked answer by saying “good?” Well, what is behind that “good?” This article can help explain it for you. 

The Athens Oracle interviewed four Athens students, all of them upperclassmen, and their identities were kept anonymous. Information that could give away who it is or narrow it down in any way has been removed from the quotes; you won’t even know the person’s gender. Throughout this article, each person will be referenced by a number: one through four. Their number will remain the same throughout the article. 

What is your favorite moment in high school?

Most of the students’ answers included hanging out with friends or participating in an extracurricular activity. 

“Hanging out after football games with all my friends, we like going to Cookout, it’s always fun,” said Person Four.

The worst part of high school.

Everyone had a little bit of a different story, but most people mentioned the schoolwork: how hard it could be, and that there’s a lot of it. “Chemistry, … that was my low point,” said Person Four.

Person Two also talked about schoolwork and how people can get into others’ business. 

“…How nosey people are. I feel like it amplifies drama so much more, and obviously, the drama can be interesting, but it gets repetitive and nonsensical,” said Person Two.

What is something you would change, if you could go back in time?

Person One said that they would join an extracurricular activity sooner. This was because they really enjoyed it, and doing that extracurricular activity for the entirety of high school would have been great. 

Do you ever feel pressured to fit in, and how? 

Person One really went into the biggest reason people try to fit in: social media. 

“Social media is really bad. You see people going out, partying, hanging out with people, doing certain things, and sometimes it does make you wonder, am I weird for not doing that … or do I not hang out with my friends enough?” said Person Two.

They talked more about the high school’s reputation and how there’s pressure to have a social life. They also mentioned how they frequently tend to get into their own head, wondering if they go out too little, and comparing themselves to others because of a post on social media. 

Do you think social media makes high school better or worse?

Most people said it was worse because of the comparison aspect. They also said that it can make it so you get easily distracted in class or can cause you to procrastinate work. 

Although social media is not all that bad; for example, it can keep you up to date with things that’re going on.

“It does help you connect to your friends better,” said Person Three.

Person Two talked about trying to fit in, and how people may judge them for the way they look and their sexuality. 

“I try to fit in but it’s really exhausting,” said Person Two. 

What is a stereotype of high school, or something that people think about high school, but in reality isn’t true. 

Both Person Two and Three talked about how people think there are sections of people in high school, and you have to stick with that section, but that’s actually not true. It is important to put yourself out there and talk to a lot of people, even if you don’t have the strongest bond with them. 

Person Three also gave some important advice that can help a lot of students.

“There’s always a group for you, whether it’s a club, friend group, whatever it is. There’s always a group for you,” said Person Three.

What’s something about high school that adults don’t understand?

Some adults think they know everything about high school, as they’ve been through it; however, those past experiences don’t exactly relate to the high school experience of a student today. 

“You try to juggle having a social life, but you also have four hours of homework,” said Person One 

The other people who were interviewed took a similar approach, talking about how school can be very taxing and that there’s usually a lot of pressure to get good grades in your classes. 

“I’ve taken [many] AP classes, I’m in a bunch of honors classes. I go home … and my mom just assumes that I am not supposed to be exhausted … School is really draining socially and physically. Just sitting there for 8 hours writing and thinking consistently … That’s exhausting,” said Person Two.

What is the “hard truth” about high school? 

“Not everyone’s gonna like you … be yourself no matter what, because you’re gonna attract the people that you want to attract,” said Person Three. 

Is there anything else you would like to say about high school?

“It has been an experience, and when they say it flies by, they’re not joking,” said Person One. This is how high school is for a lot of students, and how they’re moving on with their lives before they know it. 

Furthermore, another obvious thing that needs to be heard. 

“It’s very fun, enjoy it while it lasts, but if you’re not having a great time … it’s not the biggest deal in the world,” said Person Three. 

Describe high school in a few words or a sentence. 

Person Three spoke about how you should take advantage of “the most developmental four years of your life.” Person One also believes students should really just hang on for the ride. 

Person Four talked about how a student’s perspective on school at the beginning can change everything.

“If you go into high school with a good perspective, you’re probably going to get something good out of high school,” said Person Four.

Wrapping this all up; high school students struggle with a lot of different things. Whether it is a post on social media, comparing themselves to others, studying for a big test or others not understanding what they are going through. The questions “How was school?” Most always has a something behind it, and sometimes a simple “good” is just the better and quick answer. So how was your day…?