1. Read classic books, and watch classic movies. Become cultured.
2. Let go of petty high school things. Make up with people you fought with, people you isolated, and start college off without something clawing at your past.
3. Clean up your social media. Delete anything that might endanger your opportunities for work opportunities, friend opportunities, etc…
4. Let go of physical high school things. Do not bring your football jacket or t-shirts that belong in high school or trophies that remind you of who you were in the past. The point of college is to take who you are in this moment and make something of that person.
5. Do all your favorite things in your hometown because you won’t be able to do them for months on end. You might not think you’ll miss the feeling of walking through your neighborhood barefoot in the summer, but you’d be surprised.
6. Cherish your parents. I guarantee that they will use this time to cram as much life advice into you as possible, but try not to take it as smothering, as you’ll be on your own when you’re sick in university. Friends that you make there will only go so far to baby and doctor you.
7. Do one last high-school ‘thing’, as a final tribute to the place that made you who you are in this moment, the person you will be upon entering college. You have the next four years to associate with all of the friends you will make in college, but this summer is the closest you and your high school buddies have been, and ever will be. Take advantage of that!
8. Find some low-skill level job, to be arbitrarily decided by you. This is the most appropriate time to do so, because you’ll be making $$$ but not be throwing yourself into the grownup world full-speed yet. You have the rest of your life to be a corporate nobody, evaluated largely for what’s inside your mind. For once in your life, let your ability to do basic tasks do the work and give your mind a break.
9. Grow up, but only a little. College…is the perfect mix of maturity and childhood, but if it’s barely acceptable to have an email address like lollypop395937@gmail.com in high school, what makes you think it’s appropriate in college? (based on a true story)
10. Read the news. College is far greater than your high school life will ever be, and it’s excruciatingly important to expand your horizons and know what’s happening in the world around you. Maybe there’s something better to focus on instead of Damon and Elena?
11. If all else fails, leave the country for the whole summer and come back a completely different person. Though Emerson refers to travelling as “a fool’s paradise,” I find that there’s some value in just…getting the hell away from a place that bothers you so, and a car ride or a plane flight might just be the first step in getting away.
Cat Zhang 
You have very valid and awesome sounding suggestions! I sure will keep that in mind when (if) I finally go to college…but this IS applicable to starting anew anywhere (: cool post all around.
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:) Even if you don’t go to college, it’s totally something to consider doing when you finish high school. But I see on your blog that you’re a high school dropout? That’s got to be interesting. What’s it like? What do you spend your days doing?
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Whew, where to start! (totally why I should manage what to post first lol haha)
Since I “moved” to the countryside it’s gotten even more amazing!
~I’m helping my dad rework a house that’s been around since WWII, it’s crazy because we’re on a tight budget so it challenges us to do the fixing smartly which is a learning experience — but I’m excited to build my own bed and craft my room
~Getting serious with my passions and developing them. Despite having few viewers, I’ve decided to make each one an artwork. Rethinking and rethinking what school is and how to go about that.
~A big thing is how different the culture here is. It is so interesting… besides the resourcefulness (and how fresh everything is lol) it’s notable how people deal with trauma/illness/problems because there’s no such thing as psychiatry. People here are so…pure. It surprises me in an awesome way the similarities and differences of the impact of society here.
Oops I’ve been going on…that’s just the tip of the iceberg XD
Your high school seemed awesome, I like how you go about things. I haven’t explored enough to say anything with security, but I love your ambition and drive (: I will most likely explore your blog further because I think that there is a lot to be learnt especially since you have good English classes and experience getting your point across.
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Hey, I forgot to mention — I’m Asian too hehe
I’ve always been interested in meeting people who are minorities where they are :D
cool!
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Ah!!! You have totally changed my perception of the average drop-out, haha…makes me realize that school definitely isn’t necessarily to go far in places. In fact, you sound like you have your life together more than I do mine. The people that surround you seem amazing, and I wish there were more like them here. High school is pretty cool, but I guess I should mention that I go to private school, so it might be different than the conventional high school experience. And…Yay asians!!! Being minority is interesting, because it’s something that visually defines who I am. What’s it like for you?
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Glad to have helped (:
I don’t really but wow thanks! Hmm.maybe having it together is something we keep on aspiring for, yet we never realize how much we actually already have got! It’s an idea based on ideals…
Oh, that’s interesting in a whole new light (: I do wonder how private school is different, US movie portrayals don’t seem super accurate haha I went to private schools before High school and they each have their merits (:
Visually Defines. I like how you put it that way (:
well since we’re all Asian here, the looking different thing is a (not very polite to the other Asians) joke; ie I am mistaken for Chinese sometimes and people laugh… but maybe being too comfortable in your home culture does that to people. Do you ever feel out of place?
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It will feel really weird the first time you go back! :-)
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No doubt :) When college becomes your home away from home, what of your original home? Things to consider…
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Then you get two homes! I am lucky enough to have lived in three different cities with university (in the UK), so I say I have three homes – even if they are all far away from each other! :-D
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Wait that’s pretty awesome! I’ve lived in Atlanta all of my life, and I’m so ready for a change of pace. But I guess sometimes it’s less about the location and more about what’s there, who is there, etc. :)
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You will love it :-D good luck with everything!
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