It’s that time of year again: the sun is beaming and students are counting down the days until summer. While most teens have to come back in the fall, there are over 600 people who are moving ahead with their lives and graduating from Huntington Beach High School (HBHS). Seniors have grown significantly since they were wee freshmen, learning important life skills along the way. To make the high school experience for the underclassmen a bit easier, here are some frequently asked questions answered by the class of 2025:

If you could talk to your freshman year self, what would you tell them?

Four years is a long time, and during high school, you are guaranteed to do things that will make your future self wonder, “Why did I do that?” Although mistakes are inevitable, it is important to let them go and learn from them rather than let them burden you.

Morgan Drotter, a senior at HBHS and incoming freshman to Cornell University, said, “So much will happen in the next four years. Don’t dwell on every little thing that happens to you when you’re 14.”

Making errors can be detrimental to one’s mental health, but having a reliable support system, such as friends and mentors, can lighten the toll it takes. Those who stay with you despite your flaws are true friends, although they might not be the people you expect.

Julia Garber, a senior soccer player at HBHS, said if she got the chance to talk to her 14-year-old self, she would tell her, “There were many things that changed me: people who turned out to be different than I thought and a huge support system of close friends and family that guided me to my current self. So, at the end of the day, I’d remind my freshman self to be appreciative and thank those who have shown to be truly loving people throughout the last four years.”

Not only does living in the past trouble your mind, but it also makes you miss the present.

Towa Le, a junior graduating a year early and attending the University of California Berkeley in the fall, said, “I’d tell myself not to try so hard and to live more in the moment. It’s easy to get caught up in school and stress, but there’s a lot you can miss if you’re too focused on academics. Enjoy the experience while it lasts.”

Evan DiCarlo, a Model United Nations and Academy of the Performing Arts student, also said, “I would tell myself to just enjoy every moment I have in high school, because it truly did go by way too fast.”

What are some ways to maintain a social life while also keeping your grades up?

Many students struggle with balancing a social life and school. With all the rigorous courses high schoolers are taking now-a-days, it is difficult to make time for both. To keep up grades as well as a social life, time management is an important skill to have.

“Time management is an obvious answer, which everyone should do whether they want to have a very social life or not. I’ve learned that making sacrifices is extremely important for both my social and school life. By this I mean that sometimes you have to choose what is the most important to you,” Garber said.

If you are unsure how to manage your time or what sacrifices to make, here is a tip from Drotter: 

She said, “Do the homework now, rather than put it off. When I have free time, on the day it’s assigned, it’s best to just get it out of the way so I can have my weekends free.”

DiCarlo has another method of time management that helped him with the school-social life balance.

 “I was able to maintain a social life while also maintaining my grades by dedicating hours specifically to social time. I would work on my homework until that time hit, and I would then go socialize, then come back later to finish it up,” he said.

At the end of the day, everyone has different priorities, so find the ones most important to you. The people who respect your goals and understand the sacrifices you make are your true friends.

Le said, “Value your relationships and don’t overload yourself. There’s always a way to make time for the people who matter, and it’s all about balance. Don’t take too much onto your plate, and prioritize what’s really important to you.”

What is the best piece of advice that helped you throughout your 4 years of high school?

Going into high school, many people struggle with social acceptance, worrying that every little thing they do will make them an outcast, but this compromises one’s individuality.

Rather than think this way, Garber said, “The best advice I learned throughout my four years of high school is to go with your gut and be yourself. There are many experiences I’ve been through in the last 4 years that I regret or wish I did a little differently, but I have never regretted going with my gut and sticking to my beliefs, even if that makes me the odd one out.”

As long as you are yourself, you won’t have regrets throughout high school, which is something many teenagers worry about. 

“Do what you want. Be who you are. High school goes by too quickly to pretend that you fit in with certain people or like certain things- just be yourself, be kind and you will attract the right people. It’s better to look back and say, ‘I can’t believe I did that,’ rather than ’I wish I’d done that,’” said Drotter. 

If you want a successful high school experience, make sure to be true to yourself. However, you must also put in the work to make it in life.

On what the best piece of advice she received, Le said, “If you work hard now, it’ll be easier later. Thinking ahead and setting yourself up for success really does pay off. Planning and effort in the present can open up more opportunities in the future.”

How has your perspective on college changed during high school?

As a young high school student, college may seem like a scary place where you are forced to grow up and be on your own, but as students progress through school, college doesn’t feel as daunting.

“My perspective on college has changed immensely since my freshman year. Going into my freshman year, I looked at college feeling as though I’d never be prepared, like it would be something I did just to get a degree and get out. Now in my senior year, I see college as a new experience, a new life and a place of opportunity. I understand that I am not fully prepared for it even now, but every person entering their college campus freshman year is just as unprepared as me. I’m very excited to seek out a college experience and watch how it transforms me even further, just like high school did,” said Garber.

As Garber stated, college is also about developing as a person, not just about obtaining a degree.

DiCarlo said, “During my first three years of high school, I viewed college as a status symbol and a way to prove what I had worked for. But in senior year, that mindset began to shift. I realized that college was never about prestige or comparison. Instead, it is a tool and an opportunity for growth, exploration, and becoming who you want to be. Every college offers something valuable, and the real purpose is to find the place that helps you become your best self.”

Not only is college where you personally advance, but it is also where your career takes off.

In regards to how her perspective on college changed throughout high school, Le said, “I used to see college as the end goal, but now I view it as a starting point. It’s a place for us to continue pursuing our passions and really explore what we want to do with our lives.”

Moreover, everyone has a unique journey to college, so if you feel lost when trying to get there, know that that feeling is completely normal.

“Keeping an open mind about college is so important. Your path isn’t linear. Your dream school could say no, or you might grow and discover college isn’t for you. I never thought I would end up going where I’m going, but because I was open to the recruiting process (for softball), I unlocked a whole other world of opportunity for myself,” said Drotter.

Going through high school is a different process for everyone, but it’s true for all that as long as you commit to individuality, you will get the best out of your experience. Congratulations, class of 2025, and remember to take in what you learned from high school to continue to grow.