I remember entering my freshman year of high school ready to channel my inner Rory Gilmore. I wanted to not just work hard, but achieve perfection. But the problem with chasing after something unattainable is that you will never be satisfied. If I could go back and have a long talk with my freshman year self, I would tell her to relax. I would tell her to spend less time worrying and more time enjoying high school before graduation quietly sneaks up on me.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t work hard, but I do regret spending some valuable time late at night trying to turn a 95 into a 100. In the end, those little 5 points will not matter to you (or to the colleges you apply to). So take advantage of the time you have, and romanticize every moment. When you don’t limit yourself to perfection, you open your mind up to infinitely more. Challenge yourself academically, but enjoy the process. Enjoy learning, and enjoy every moment, both in and out of the classroom. Make memories and take plenty of pictures and savor the moments that you’ll remember forever.

You should also invest your time in activities that you care about. I was definitely overscheduled at times, but mostly I was doing things I truly loved doing. Though it took me a while to find a balance between sports, work and clubs, I learned to lighten my load when necessary and cherish the activities I loved. In retrospect, I wish I cherished them even more; I didn’t know how fast it would all end. From field hockey bus rides to figure skating competitions to DECA States and so much more, I miss it all more than I thought I ever would. My advice is to live in the moment, before the moment becomes a memory.

Though my high school experience was not perfect, if I could do it all over again, the truth is I wouldn’t change a thing. Because ultimately, where I am right now is where I am meant to be. Leaving high school is definitely bittersweet. I know I will miss Algonquin, probably more than I realize, but I can’t deny that I’m excited for my new beginnings. In the words of Taylor Swift, it’s “the end of a decade, but the start of an age.”