High School and Friends, or Lack Thereof

High school can be a very difficult time for many teenagers. You are making the transition either from middle school to high school or from high school to college. It’s a huge time of growth and an experience like no other.

The biggest difference between high school and our outside life is the cliques. The infamous cliques we see on television and movies. There’s cliques like “weird band geeks”, “popular cheerleaders”,”talented jocks”, “the goths” etc. You guys get the point. In this world, it can be very difficult and intimidating to make friends or it can cause problems among friends that used to be very close before and now fall into these new categories.

Because high school and those transitions can become very difficult, it helps very much to at least have that one friend. So what do you do when you don’t fit in or you have yet to make any friends. My best advice that I did myself was to just go ahead and aim for making one friend; Not become part of a group particularly but make one friend. The key was to begin talking to someone that looked like they were in the same place as I was finding myself in. I see many people that complain about having good friends yet they treat other people badly or judge them because of appearances. Do not fall into that group. Everyone feels the same pains, the same emotions, and have similar needs so be open to people. That person that someone may judge easily and dismiss could be the person that can give you the best advice and be that shoulder to lean on.

That little bit of courage to make a friend can go a long way. Before you know it, there may be a chance that you can make friends through them or it’ll just give you the confidence to keep going. After a couple months of feeling friendless, making that one friend led me to become part of a bigger group of friends who remain friends well after high school.

What if your problem is having that friend who is now part of a different group or if you’re in that other group that isolates a former friend? One of the things that I learned in high school, is that this will probably happen. The most important part if figure out who you are and the person you want to be and who they are to you. Was the friendship important to you? When it comes down to it, you need to remember who this person was and what they did for you. There are many reasons to not be friends with someone but those never include what they look like, their sexual orientations, where they come from, or whether or not they belong to a certain group or not.

If you feel that a friend ended your relationship because of one of those things, as painful as it can be, they’re not a real friend. Friends are to be treasured when they are indeed real friends. Being a good friend means not gossiping, not forgetting who your friends are, and respecting each other. This is a very quick and short guide on these two particular issues. High school and friends can be very complicated but remember to keep your head up and be the best person you can be. Cliques may seem important now but try to be above them and don’t judge your fellow peers before getting to know them. Good luck!