After experiencing her first year of college, SHS graduate Jada Pinkett Smith is feeling unsettled and troubled by her experiences that she says are significantly less exciting than the ones she had in high school.
Smith says she had a difficult time adjusting to her new life in college because she has to initiate conversation and use critical thinking, whereas in high school there was multiple choice practice and practice for the practice of the practice, the occasional Kahoot games and all the couples who contribute to procreation in the hallway. Smith prefers the latter.
“I just miss high school so much,” Smith said. “Learning in an environment with cockroaches, mice and other vermin is exactly what I need to facilitate my education.”
Not only does she miss the social pyramids and the mean girl hierarchy, but she also misses being objectified by her male peers and her school’s dress code. Smith says these are “just girl things.”
Acclimating to the new culture has caused a major shift in her confidence, according to Smith. She says that while she was once the prettiest girl at school, she now blends in with “the rest of them.”
“Yesterday I rolled my eyes at a girl from down the hall, and she wasn’t even phased. It’s honestly upsetting,” Smith said.
The amount of hours Smith spends on studying is more than she ever had to in high school. The number has increased from what Smith describes as a “fair” -2 hours to an “unbearable” 4 hours a week. According to Smith, her time and her looks are her main concern, and she feels both are being compromised due to the environment of the real world.
Smith is not alone in her belief that high school is where it’s at. Her younger brother who currently attends SHS, junior star quarterback William Smith, who goes by Will, says that high school has been the best time of his life.
“Listen, high school has treated me extremely well so far,” Will Smith said. “I can’t imagine what it would be like if I had to follow the same rules or be held to the same standards as everyone else.”
Will Smith says he is proud of his sister for surviving her first year not in high school, but he is relieved he still has another year left. Smith says she’s envious that Will is a senior in high school and wishes she could’ve stayed in high school forever.
After noticing a change in Smith’s behavior, Leslie Smith, is concerned for her daughter’s well-being.
“Last week we went to visit Jada at school,” Leslie Smith said. “There was a pile of broken fidget spinners next to her bed. I guess they kept breaking because she had to use them so much to calm her nerves. I think it would be good for her to drop out and go back to high school.”
Leslie Smith also says that the clean and studious environment her daughter is living in is nothing compared to the hectic public school she loved.
As of right now, Smith has decided to stay in college but plans on complaining at least once a day.