18 Sep 2016

Ah, those blissful lazy, crazy days after graduation when all the assignments are finished, the exams are close but not close enough to warrant serious stress, the university applications are submitted and all those summary sheets are written- for the most part. Everything is noticeably lighter and happier in the space between graduation and the onslaught of exams.

It is in this space you start to reminisce on your high school years- being surrounded by your best friends, wagging math class, emptying bottles of water on your best friends on a hot day… a reminiscing that will continue for a long while. I recall on the last day of exams, driving to the beach with my besties in the back seats, pumping One Direction and talking about this feeling of giddy nostalgia we were all experiencing.

“Graduation goggles,” someone offered. “You know, like in that episode of How I Met Your Mother?”

Ah, yes, the ‘graduation goggles’ phenomenon. Akin to the beer goggles that make even the most ghastly members of the opposite sex appear irresistible, the graduation goggles make high school – that miserable, dank hell-hole where you have been trapped for the past six years – seem like the happiest time of your life. At graduation, you’ll find yourself hugging the people who you once considered your worst enemies and inexplicably missing that weird, geeky kid you barely said two words to. You want to chat to the teachers who gave you hell and you want to roam the halls that once held you prisoner.  

If you’re currently in Year 12, then this time for you is not far on the horizon. You might not believe me now, but soon you’ll be donning the graduation goggles too, and if you’re lucky, this feeling will envelop your post-graduation life. With no commitments and no worries, you can bask in this strange, newfound bliss totally care-free. Enjoy it while you can, because these are going to be some of the best, loosest, most liberating days you’ll ever experience.

There will be booze.

The exam period is a hellish time drenched in anxiety and high-stakes procrastination. But what directly follows the submission of that very last exam paper is the ‘party period’, and that is soaked in vodka cruisers more than anything else. There will be days upon days of parties, one right after the other until you get to the point where the thought of lifting another drink to your lips will make you want to hurl.

There will rarely be another time in your life when you’ll have the chance to party with such abandon, because one day soon, you’ll have early morning jobs and assignment deadlines to worry about. So dance while you still can!

There will be travels.

Whether you’ve got plans to head overseas, or simply drive an hour up the coast, there will be time to travel after graduation, preferably without parents holding your hand on the way. Going on an adventure, great or small, is a must after school. It’s a time to test your freedom, your friendships, and yourself. There are very few life experiences out there more trying and more rewarding than traveling, so pack your bags and get some distance from your old, high school life.

There will be a lot free time. Too much.

Get that ass indentation in your living room couch nice and comfy, because that’s where you’ll be spending a great deal of your days. With no school to worry about, there’s going to be a lot of veg time, so make a list of all the shows you never got to watch and crack open the M&Ms. Just make sure you avoid the stir-crazies by varying your time, so every spare second is spent doing something you love.

It will be your last chance to be a kid.

I know all you’ve wanted for the past six years is to be treated like an adult, but trust me, being a grown up is grossly overrated. Take advantage of your last chance to act like a kid, because once it’s gone, it’s gone for good.

It will be scary.

Big changes are coming your way. You’re venturing out into the great unknown and it’s going to be terrifying. But the good kind of terrifying. Just remember to treat everything like a new adventure, an exciting experience to discover. The rose-tinted lenses of those graduation goggles won’t be around forever, so take the risks while you still can and make the most of school-less life.