At the young age of 9, many kids are exposed to this idea of how high school is when in reality, it is in fact very different. Movies like High School Musical and Mean Girls have created this “stereotypical image” to young pre-teens about societal roles in the high school setting. These movies normally involve your typical “mean girl” as well as the innocent victim known as the “new girl”. The main plot line ends with the innocent new girl getting the popular jock, leaving the scene to end with them either kissing or confessing their love for each other.

What many of these young teens do not realize is that high school is very different. There are no cliques or dramatic entrance upon arriving on your first day. The only dramatic entrance that could be made would be some embarrassing fall down the stairs freshman year, which happens to only the very uncoordinated like me. Sure you have people divide into groups, but those were formed long ago in elementary school or through common sport interests. Along with that, kids are not alienated, everyone in high school is pretty friendly. There is not a ruthless “Queen Bee” who rules the school that has everyone fearing her, everyone is viewed equally.

Instead of your High School Musical version of a “Queen Bee”, a group known as the “white girls” exist. These girls get their name due to their “basic” way of dressing. An example of a “basic white girl” outfit could be yoga pants with a North Face jacket and Uggs; the look is then completed either with a Michael Kors purse or acrylic nails. During the fall you might even catch them taking a selfie with the infamous Pumpkin Spice latte from Starbucks.

Freshman are another stereo-typed group that is encountered in the high school setting. How many times have you bumped into a person with a huge backpack and automatically assumed that it was a freshman? Let’s just say that happens a lot. Many incoming freshman stick out like a sore thumb due to their large backpacks and tiny bodies. Just picture an ant trying to haul a small rock and you’ve got your typical freshman. What these newcomers do not realize is that you don’t need that much backpack, unless you’re trying to insure that you won’t be trampled when passing down the hallways, the backpack is not necessary.

You can also spot a freshman by merely observing anyone that is sprinting off to class. Here’s some advice for any freshman, you have 5 minutes to get to class therefore there is no need to sprint down the halls. It’s good to be on time, but if it’s so important that you start running into upper classmen, you will be making some enemies pretty quickly. The only time it is okay to sprint to class would be if you heard the warning bell and aren’t even remotely close to class, other than that save your sprinting for P.E.

High school is full of stereotypes, but it’s up to you to decide whether or not you value what people think. The sooner this is learned, the more enjoyable your high school experience will be. Lastly, to any new comers in high school, please stop the running to class, just relax and remember you’re only in high school once, so don’t rush it.