Morgan Adderley Wednesday, 11th September 2013 College Writing Essay What I hated the most about high

school was having to deal with hundreds of other hormonal, stressed out, angst-ridden, annoying, superficial, awkward teenagers. I have a few choice words for whoever thought it was a brilliant idea to fling a bunch of half children/half adults together for eight hours a day, five days a week. It probably was someone who had an idyllic vision of young people sitting together, learning from masters of the arts and sciences, having their thirst for knowledge quenched, and then afterwards sitting in a circle singing kum ba ya or something. Thatdid not happen. Okay, okay I dont have to be so bitter, but seriously. While I did make many friends in high school, and formed some close bonds, the sheer number of children who I could not stand was sky high. Boys who were overly obnoxious and immature, who took pleasure in as being as loud as possible or bragging about their amazing skills- both on the court and with the opposite sex. And then there were the girls. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Clearly Congreve the guy who coined that sentiment- went to high school. Or at least saw the 18th century version of Mean Girls. A teenage girl who does not like you is seriously the worst thing on earth. You see, she is not just content to despise you on her own, oh no. She has to turn all her friends against you as well. I guess were pack animals at heart. Double points if these were your friends too. Different girls take their evil to different levels, but trust me; she will do what she can. Subliminal tweets, spreading rumors, and being all around vindictive are just a few of the weapons she has in her arsenal. Do not cross her unprepared. And of course, nothing can make you hate your fellow humans more than the dreaded wordsGroup project. Usually the worst experiences come from when your teacher picks the groups, but sometimes even when you choose your own, the results are disastrous. First you typically have a slacker who doesnt even know what the assignment

is. On the flip side is the overachiever, who is determined to make a perfect grade. Then theres the little con artist, who convinces the overachiever that hes going to help, but never does. And if youre really lucky, there will also be a quiet steady worker- someone who wont exactly take charge, but will diligently do all that the overachiever has assigned. The kind of stress which accompanies group projects seriously makes you wonder about the masochistic or child-hating person who invented them in the first place. So you have high schools, and then you have coral reefs. Also known as the rainforests of the sea, coral reefs sustain about quarter of all marine life, including fish, mollusks, echinoderms, sponges, crustaceans, and many others. At coral reefs, these creatures mate, find food, and seek shelter. Therefore, they are incredibly important to underwater ecosystems and the food chain. Reefs also support terrestrial life- they protect the shore from storms, hurricanes and tsunamis, build up the coastline, provide a source of food, and are tourist attractions. The reefs are also crucial to the existence of many small islands, which would not exist without them. The economic value of coral reefs is as much as US $375 billion per annum. Like schools, coral reefs are crucial to the world. However, like schools, they are not the easiest places to reside. All animals do not live together in harmony, and predators will prey on the weak. In order to counterattack this, we learned to form groups. In high school, this often takes the form of cliques, while in the sea, smaller creatures will (ironically) form schools or large groups which make them appear stronger and consequently make them less vulnerable. But what can we do? A system may not be perfect, but it is the best that we have to advance the next generation. Like coral reefs, schools are vital to the world we live in today. I may not like Samantha or I might think that Timmy is clearly missing a few screws; but the fact of the matter remained that I was in high school for a specific reason- to learn. So just like the rest of us sitting in this room today, I found people who I truly liked, and then spent enough time on my work to graduate and escape from those I couldnt stand. And that is how I survived high school.