7 Things College Students Wish They Knew in High School
High school can make every decision feel permanent.
Which classes should you take? What major should you choose? Are you doing enough outside school? Will one disappointing grade ruin your plans? Should you already know what career you want?
To find out which worries actually matter, STEM Stories asked college students what they would tell their ninth-grade selves.
Their majors and experiences were different, but their answers repeatedly returned to the same ideas: you have more time than you think, exploration matters more than certainty, and high school should not become a four-year attempt to build the perfect résumé.
Here are seven things they wish they had understood earlier.
1. You do not need to have your major figured out in high school
Kevin, a computer science and mathematics student at Yale, said that students often place too much importance on deciding their direction early.
Studying computer science before college might give someone a small head start in an introductory course, but it does not determine where they will eventually end up. College provides time to take new classes, discover unfamiliar subjects, and change direction.
Esther, an animal science student at Cornell, remembered worrying that she did not know enough about her possible field and might not fit in once she reached college. Looking back, she would tell younger students that they are only beginning. Their interests can change during high school, and they may change again after entering college.
That does not mean you should avoid thinking about your future. It means your current answer does not need to be permanent.
Instead of asking:
What am I going to study for the rest of my life?
Try asking:
What subject or problem would I like to understand better next?
A high school student does not need a final destination. A useful next step is enough.
2. A major is usually broader than its stereotype
Students may reject a major because they only know its most obvious career.
Esther explained that animal science is not limited to working with cats and dogs or becoming a traditional veterinarian. The field can connect to livestock, wildlife, nutrition, agriculture, research, genetics, public health, and many other areas.
The same problem appears across STEM:
Computer science is not only app development.
Biology is not only becoming a doctor.
Mathematics is not only classroom calculations.
Electrical engineering is not only repairing wires.
Chemistry is not only mixing substances in a laboratory.
Before deciding that a field does—or does not—fit you, investigate what students in that major actually study.
Look at:
Required college courses
Possible concentrations
Research areas
Student projects
Careers graduates pursue
Interviews with current students
You may discover a part of the field you did not know existed.
3. The most prestigious option is not automatically the best fit
Emily, a materials science and engineering student at the University of Pennsylvania, described how much she once worried about reaching a “good” college.
MIT had been her dream school. Looking back, however, she realized that its environment might not have suited her personality as well as the school she ultimately attended.
Her reflection challenges a common high school assumption: that there is one objectively best college, program, or path.
A college can be highly ranked and still not be the place where a particular student will be happiest or most successful.
Fit can include:
Academic environment
Campus culture
Class size
Access to professors
Social atmosphere
Location
Financial affordability
Opportunities in your specific interests
The amount of competition or collaboration
Whether you can imagine living there for several years
A rejection can feel like proof that you were not good enough. Sometimes, it simply redirects you toward an environment that fits you better.
Prestige may open doors, but it cannot guarantee that you will enjoy walking through them.
4. Your life should be larger than your academics
Kevin’s advice to his younger self was not to study more. It was to focus less exclusively on academics, enjoy high school, and give more attention to activities such as swimming.
Andrew, a computer science student at the University of Washington, similarly emphasized balancing academics with friends, exercise, and the rest of college life. Emily advised students to work hard without letting fear about achievement control every decision.
Strong grades and study habits matter. But so do:
Friendships
Sleep
Exercise
Hobbies
Music
Sports
Family
Rest
Activities that have no obvious academic purpose
These parts of life are not distractions from becoming successful. They help make demanding work sustainable.
A useful question is not only:
Am I accomplishing enough?
It is also:
Am I building a life I would actually want to continue living?
High school is part of your life, not merely preparation for the next stage.
5. Explore beyond what your school offers
Andrew said he spent much of high school focused on his GPA and classes without fully understanding how many other learning resources were available.
Looking back, he wished he had explored more courses, certifications, videos, and projects outside school.
A school cannot offer every possible subject. Even a strong curriculum may not include areas such as:
Artificial intelligence
Electronics
Web development
Neuroscience
Data science
Materials science
Applied mathematics
Biomedical engineering
Human-computer interaction
That does not mean you must enroll in an expensive program.
You could begin by:
Watching a beginner lecture
Taking a free online course
Reading a book or article
Completing a small project
Attending a public event
Joining an online student community
Speaking with a teacher or college student
Exploring a topic through publicly available data
The goal is not to collect the largest possible number of certificates. It is to discover whether you enjoy the actual subject.
6. Build something before you feel completely ready
Kevin said he wished he had begun creating real websites and applications earlier.
He had experience with competitive programming and algorithm problems, but building complete tools felt more intimidating. Real projects require unfamiliar steps: using APIs, designing interfaces, fixing errors, organizing code, and learning technologies that were never covered in class.
That discomfort is exactly why small projects are valuable.
Andrew described building a project that used Python, a video-game API, and Amazon Web Services to retrieve and store player statistics. The project gave him practical experience with cloud computing and back-end systems.
Your first project does not need to be original or impressive.
It could be:
A simple website
A budgeting program
A sports-data analysis
A digital study tool
A virtual circuit
A small engineering prototype
A scientific literature summary
A graph made from a public dataset
Tutorials are fine for getting started. The important step is changing something afterward.
Add a feature. Ask a new question. Test a different design. Explain why the result failed.
You do not become ready and then begin. Beginning is one of the ways you become ready.
7. Confidence and relationships matter more than students expect
Wesley, an electrical engineering student at Caltech, would tell his ninth-grade self to be confident, put himself out there, meet new people, and build relationships.
That advice may seem less technical than recommending a certain class or programming language. However, STEM rarely happens alone.
Students learn through:
Classmates
Teachers
Mentors
Club members
Research partners
Professors
Older students
People in entirely different fields
Relationships can expose you to ideas, opportunities, and perspectives you would not find independently.
Confidence does not mean feeling certain all the time. It can mean:
Asking a question even when you feel nervous
Introducing yourself to someone new
Joining a club before you know anyone
Attempting a project without knowing every step
Admitting that you need help
Sharing an idea before it feels perfect
Wesley also described wanting to connect electrical engineering with music, an interest he had developed through years of playing violin. That is an important reminder: your interests outside STEM do not have to disappear when you choose a technical field.
They may become the reason your work becomes uniquely yours.
What these students’ answers had in common
None of them said that ninth graders needed a perfect résumé, a final career decision, or mastery of college-level material.
Instead, their advice centered on:
Leaving room to change
Building strong habits
Trying unfamiliar subjects
Creating real projects
Finding supportive people
Choosing fit over prestige
Protecting time for life outside school
Preparation matters, but preparation is not the same as planning every detail.
The best way to prepare for an uncertain future is to become someone who can learn, adapt, ask for help, and follow genuine curiosity.
Five things you can do this month
Choose one—not all five.
Explore one field you have never seriously considered.
Build one small project outside class.
Speak with one college student about their major.
Spend time on one activity you enjoy without asking whether it will impress anyone.
Write down three possible interests without forcing yourself to rank them.
Then ask yourself:
What did I enjoy?
What felt draining?
What made me curious?
What do I want to try next?
Am I making this choice for myself or because I feel pressured?
You do not need to know exactly who you will become.
College students looking back often wish they had worried less about predicting the future—and spent more time learning who they already were.
Continue exploring
Watch the full STEM Stories interviews to hear college students describe their majors, projects, challenges, and advice in their own words.
You can also explore:
10 At-Home STEM Projects for High School Students
How to Choose a STEM Major in High School
How to Make a High School Resume—even if You Have No Experience
