What I Wish I'd Known in High School

That permed hair (and bangs!) are not a good look. Natural and straight is the way to go. And MC Hammer pants should be worn only by MC Hammer. —Gabby, class of '94

That the boy your world revolves around is probably not all he's cracked up to be. That the painful and awkward pictures your dad forces you to take before dances will be an endless source of humor and nostalgia when you're older. And that even if all your friends have them, blond highlights don't look good on everyone—especially not when your cousin does them in your parents' bathtub. —Katie, class of '07

That the drama between friends was so insignificant in the grand scheme of things—even though at the time it seemed like the most important thing in the world. —Allegra, class of '99

That high school will be the only time you'll be on a dodgeball team—and not ironically. –Brithny (center), class of '08

That crunchy hair is not cute. I wish I could say that I abandoned this look after high school, but sadly it took a semester at college for me to finally give up what I thought was an 'easy' alternative to blowdrying. —Dani (right), class of '07

That my freckles made me different—and that being different isn't the worst thing. In high school, I tried to cover them with thick foundation. I thought they made me ugly. As I've gotten older and my freckles have begun to fade, I actually miss them. I wish I had just embraced them instead of trying to hide them. —Brienne (right) class of '00

That if I had spent half as much time worrying about school as I did worrying about what others thought of me, then I would have been much happier and might have actually enjoyed high school—at least some of it. —Shannan, class of '95