by Peyton Blumenfeld

Ah, the classic high school coming-of-age film: the guy gets the girl, they go on outrageous adventures, and they all have a happy ending. While that all seems well and good, that simply is not how high school really is.

It’s safe to say that I’ve done my fair share of comparing my high school experience to that of the movies. The Breakfast Club, 10 Things I Hate About You, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and Fast Times at Ridgemont High all set the bar unattainably high. There’s a film for just about every significant school occurrence you can think of, and chances are I’ve probably watched just about every one of them … sometimes multiple times. At any opportunity before a big high school event, I would watch a film for inspiration. I wanted to live the seemingly perfect lives of the characters on my screen. That dream of mine, of course, was quickly dismissed.

Let’s quickly shoot down some common misconceptions about high school. First off, high schoolers don’t look like the 30 year olds that actors portray in the films (*cough* Grease *cough*). Secondly, there really is no such thing as cliques. We all just exist together and mind our own business. Ultimately, high school is not some big party like they show on film. Of course there are parties, but there’s also work that needs to get done in real life too. Ever notice how it seems like high schoolers in the movies never seem to be doing any actual homework or studying? The simple fact is high school films are either just plain unrealistic or too outdated to be relatable anymore.

Basically what I’m trying to say is high school is what you make of it, not what you see on the screen. Comparing your life to Hollywood films is just going to create unrealistic expectations. Now don’t get me wrong, I still love the classic teen movies. But I’ve learned to not take them too seriously. The big takeaway is that I need to write my own story with authentic moments instead of trying to replicate that of mere fiction.