Over the past several years, the Class of 2020 has had to endure so much. We are the generation that has had to overcome many hurdles whether those were academic or just life events. But the sixth formers have also learned so much. We have grown in every aspect of our lives. As we say goodbye to our years at Hill, there are lessons that we learned along the way that have helped to carve out the people we are today. Looking back, what advice would we give our third-form-selves that we wish we had known way back then?
Caleb Dorsey ’20 looked back at his experience and spoke about the biggest lesson he learned.
“I think the two biggest things I picked up early on in my time at Hill were to manage my time wisely and to ask for help,” Dorsey said. “It’s okay to have fun, but it should not get in the way of obligations. I had a great deal of trouble with that my third form year…”
Hill is such a unique place with so many opportunities. Paige Barcus ’20 reflected back on her experience with a new perspective.
“I think the main piece of advice I would give to my third form self would be to not stress over the little things as much,” Barcus said. “It was not until the beginning of my fifth form year that I truly broke out of my shell and allowed myself to enjoy every aspect of Hill. I think if I had given myself more time to grow closer with my friends and enjoy everything Hill has to offer earlier, my experience would be ten times better than it already is.”
One of our biggest hopes coming into high school is to build relationships with as many people as possible. Sarah Qiu ’20 reflected back on her desire to have built these connections earlier on.
“If I could turn back time and return to the first day of school, I would encourage myself to step out of my friend circle and know each one of my classmates on a personal level,” Qiu said. “It wasn’t until my sixth form year when I really got to speak and become close with some classmates whom I’ve never talked to before. I regret not knowing them sooner because of how interesting, kind, and intellectual they are. Before I knew it, four years passed by.”
There can be many challenges in high school. It is easy to get caught up in the difficulties and forget about how special this period of time is. As this academic year comes to an end, Raina Cohen ’20 wished she could remind her third form self to cherish this time.
“Get ready for life that you didn’t even know could exist for yourselves and the most amazing part of your life up to this point. It is all going to be okay. Just remember to treasure it because, sitting where I am right now, I would love to go back and relive every moment.”
The Class of 2020 has overcome so much during our four years at Hill. As we close this amazing chapter in our lives, we all would tell our third-form-selves to be present and to enjoy the ride.