Life After High School Short Story

In Joyce Carol Oates’s short story, Life After High School, the character’s wear masks to fit into the late 1950’s strict society that accompany them throughout the story. As the other character’s masks begin to unravel; Zach is fixated on living a normal life that his mask inevitably ends his existence. While Zach’s mental instability ends his life, his obsession saves Sunny and Tobias by removing their veils before it was too late.

Essay Example on Life After High School Oates

The main character Zachary Graff, a typical awkward teenager, excels greatly in school, but Zach’s intelligence masks his mental instability.

He falls in love with the perfect, ideal, girl in high school. In reality, Zachary loves his best friend Tobias, but the constraints of the 1950’s judgmental society led him to believe that Sunny would be the perfect choice to portray a heterosexual character. He lived a conflicted life up until his death, after being rejected by both Sunny and Tobias, he felt as though death was his only way to freedom.

Zach owns a 1956 Plymouth which is envied by many; this represents the masculinity that Zachary lacks. The irony is seen when the car becomes Zach’s coffin instead of expressing his sexuality. Zach expresses little to no interest in girls other than Sunny. His classmates remember him as almost antisocial, some even called him a loner. Zachary shunned sports but claims to have a liking to golf which suggests that even though he lacked talent in the sport, it was accepted by his father.

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Barbara “Sunny” Bushman, known as the popular, “too good to be true” Christian. She represents the perfect, All-American 1950’s girl. Sunny can tell that Zach has become infatuated with her by the way he lingers around the school a little too long just to drive her home. Sunny, a devout Christian, flattered by Zachary’s gestures, unfortunately, knows that she can not tell Zachary to get lost. It just simply is not in her vocabulary after being given the ni…

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Life After High School Short Story

My Life After High School: A Short Story

life after high school short story essay

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Short Story Magic Tricks

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‘Life After School’ by Joyce Carol Oates

life after high school short story essay

Life After High School by Joyce Carol Oates, 1996

The magic trick:

Using a subtle but effective brand of foreshadowing

I graduated high school in 1996, when this story was published. Thankfully, I am happy to say the connections end there. Zachary is doomed in this one from the start. Oates drops in a steady stream of “uh-oh” sentences. You know the ones that jump off the page with the way they seem to know more than the other narration about the way this thing ends.

“… the first time, as Sunny would say afterward…”

“… in retrospect, that he’d been perhaps too serious .”

“This melancholy reply, Tobias was never to reveal.”

It’s a pretty simple thing, really. Just occasionally jump ahead in time with your narration to indicate that this story’s events are still being considered and puzzled over years later. That drives suspense. That gets the reader wondering. It’s my favorite kind of foreshadowing. And that’s quite a trick on Oates’s part.

The selection:

Zachary’s parents were urging him to go to Muhlenberg College, which was church-affiliated; Zachary hoped to go elsewhere. He said, humbly, to Sunny Burhman, “If you go to Cornell, Sunny, I – maybe I’ll go there too?”

Sunny hesitated, then smiled. “Oh. That would be nice.”

“You wouldn’t mind, Sunny?”

“Why would I mind, Zachary?” Sunny laughed, to hide her impatience.

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Home — Essay Samples — Education — Graduation — Life After High School: Setting Goals and Exploring Career Options

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Life after High School: Setting Goals and Exploring Career Options

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Published: Sep 7, 2023

Words: 701 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

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The importance of setting life goals, the significance of career exploration.

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  • How to write a literary analysis essay | A step-by-step guide

How to Write a Literary Analysis Essay | A Step-by-Step Guide

Published on January 30, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on August 14, 2023.

Literary analysis means closely studying a text, interpreting its meanings, and exploring why the author made certain choices. It can be applied to novels, short stories, plays, poems, or any other form of literary writing.

A literary analysis essay is not a rhetorical analysis , nor is it just a summary of the plot or a book review. Instead, it is a type of argumentative essay where you need to analyze elements such as the language, perspective, and structure of the text, and explain how the author uses literary devices to create effects and convey ideas.

Before beginning a literary analysis essay, it’s essential to carefully read the text and c ome up with a thesis statement to keep your essay focused. As you write, follow the standard structure of an academic essay :

  • An introduction that tells the reader what your essay will focus on.
  • A main body, divided into paragraphs , that builds an argument using evidence from the text.
  • A conclusion that clearly states the main point that you have shown with your analysis.

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Table of contents

Step 1: reading the text and identifying literary devices, step 2: coming up with a thesis, step 3: writing a title and introduction, step 4: writing the body of the essay, step 5: writing a conclusion, other interesting articles.

The first step is to carefully read the text(s) and take initial notes. As you read, pay attention to the things that are most intriguing, surprising, or even confusing in the writing—these are things you can dig into in your analysis.

Your goal in literary analysis is not simply to explain the events described in the text, but to analyze the writing itself and discuss how the text works on a deeper level. Primarily, you’re looking out for literary devices —textual elements that writers use to convey meaning and create effects. If you’re comparing and contrasting multiple texts, you can also look for connections between different texts.

To get started with your analysis, there are several key areas that you can focus on. As you analyze each aspect of the text, try to think about how they all relate to each other. You can use highlights or notes to keep track of important passages and quotes.

Language choices

Consider what style of language the author uses. Are the sentences short and simple or more complex and poetic?

What word choices stand out as interesting or unusual? Are words used figuratively to mean something other than their literal definition? Figurative language includes things like metaphor (e.g. “her eyes were oceans”) and simile (e.g. “her eyes were like oceans”).

Also keep an eye out for imagery in the text—recurring images that create a certain atmosphere or symbolize something important. Remember that language is used in literary texts to say more than it means on the surface.

Narrative voice

Ask yourself:

  • Who is telling the story?
  • How are they telling it?

Is it a first-person narrator (“I”) who is personally involved in the story, or a third-person narrator who tells us about the characters from a distance?

Consider the narrator’s perspective . Is the narrator omniscient (where they know everything about all the characters and events), or do they only have partial knowledge? Are they an unreliable narrator who we are not supposed to take at face value? Authors often hint that their narrator might be giving us a distorted or dishonest version of events.

The tone of the text is also worth considering. Is the story intended to be comic, tragic, or something else? Are usually serious topics treated as funny, or vice versa ? Is the story realistic or fantastical (or somewhere in between)?

Consider how the text is structured, and how the structure relates to the story being told.

  • Novels are often divided into chapters and parts.
  • Poems are divided into lines, stanzas, and sometime cantos.
  • Plays are divided into scenes and acts.

Think about why the author chose to divide the different parts of the text in the way they did.

There are also less formal structural elements to take into account. Does the story unfold in chronological order, or does it jump back and forth in time? Does it begin in medias res —in the middle of the action? Does the plot advance towards a clearly defined climax?

With poetry, consider how the rhyme and meter shape your understanding of the text and your impression of the tone. Try reading the poem aloud to get a sense of this.

In a play, you might consider how relationships between characters are built up through different scenes, and how the setting relates to the action. Watch out for  dramatic irony , where the audience knows some detail that the characters don’t, creating a double meaning in their words, thoughts, or actions.

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Your thesis in a literary analysis essay is the point you want to make about the text. It’s the core argument that gives your essay direction and prevents it from just being a collection of random observations about a text.

If you’re given a prompt for your essay, your thesis must answer or relate to the prompt. For example:

Essay question example

Is Franz Kafka’s “Before the Law” a religious parable?

Your thesis statement should be an answer to this question—not a simple yes or no, but a statement of why this is or isn’t the case:

Thesis statement example

Franz Kafka’s “Before the Law” is not a religious parable, but a story about bureaucratic alienation.

Sometimes you’ll be given freedom to choose your own topic; in this case, you’ll have to come up with an original thesis. Consider what stood out to you in the text; ask yourself questions about the elements that interested you, and consider how you might answer them.

Your thesis should be something arguable—that is, something that you think is true about the text, but which is not a simple matter of fact. It must be complex enough to develop through evidence and arguments across the course of your essay.

Say you’re analyzing the novel Frankenstein . You could start by asking yourself:

Your initial answer might be a surface-level description:

The character Frankenstein is portrayed negatively in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein .

However, this statement is too simple to be an interesting thesis. After reading the text and analyzing its narrative voice and structure, you can develop the answer into a more nuanced and arguable thesis statement:

Mary Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as.

Remember that you can revise your thesis statement throughout the writing process , so it doesn’t need to be perfectly formulated at this stage. The aim is to keep you focused as you analyze the text.

Finding textual evidence

To support your thesis statement, your essay will build an argument using textual evidence —specific parts of the text that demonstrate your point. This evidence is quoted and analyzed throughout your essay to explain your argument to the reader.

It can be useful to comb through the text in search of relevant quotations before you start writing. You might not end up using everything you find, and you may have to return to the text for more evidence as you write, but collecting textual evidence from the beginning will help you to structure your arguments and assess whether they’re convincing.

To start your literary analysis paper, you’ll need two things: a good title, and an introduction.

Your title should clearly indicate what your analysis will focus on. It usually contains the name of the author and text(s) you’re analyzing. Keep it as concise and engaging as possible.

A common approach to the title is to use a relevant quote from the text, followed by a colon and then the rest of your title.

If you struggle to come up with a good title at first, don’t worry—this will be easier once you’ve begun writing the essay and have a better sense of your arguments.

“Fearful symmetry” : The violence of creation in William Blake’s “The Tyger”

The introduction

The essay introduction provides a quick overview of where your argument is going. It should include your thesis statement and a summary of the essay’s structure.

A typical structure for an introduction is to begin with a general statement about the text and author, using this to lead into your thesis statement. You might refer to a commonly held idea about the text and show how your thesis will contradict it, or zoom in on a particular device you intend to focus on.

Then you can end with a brief indication of what’s coming up in the main body of the essay. This is called signposting. It will be more elaborate in longer essays, but in a short five-paragraph essay structure, it shouldn’t be more than one sentence.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is often read as a crude cautionary tale about the dangers of scientific advancement unrestrained by ethical considerations. In this reading, protagonist Victor Frankenstein is a stable representation of the callous ambition of modern science throughout the novel. This essay, however, argues that far from providing a stable image of the character, Shelley uses shifting narrative perspectives to portray Frankenstein in an increasingly negative light as the novel goes on. While he initially appears to be a naive but sympathetic idealist, after the creature’s narrative Frankenstein begins to resemble—even in his own telling—the thoughtlessly cruel figure the creature represents him as. This essay begins by exploring the positive portrayal of Frankenstein in the first volume, then moves on to the creature’s perception of him, and finally discusses the third volume’s narrative shift toward viewing Frankenstein as the creature views him.

Some students prefer to write the introduction later in the process, and it’s not a bad idea. After all, you’ll have a clearer idea of the overall shape of your arguments once you’ve begun writing them!

If you do write the introduction first, you should still return to it later to make sure it lines up with what you ended up writing, and edit as necessary.

The body of your essay is everything between the introduction and conclusion. It contains your arguments and the textual evidence that supports them.

Paragraph structure

A typical structure for a high school literary analysis essay consists of five paragraphs : the three paragraphs of the body, plus the introduction and conclusion.

Each paragraph in the main body should focus on one topic. In the five-paragraph model, try to divide your argument into three main areas of analysis, all linked to your thesis. Don’t try to include everything you can think of to say about the text—only analysis that drives your argument.

In longer essays, the same principle applies on a broader scale. For example, you might have two or three sections in your main body, each with multiple paragraphs. Within these sections, you still want to begin new paragraphs at logical moments—a turn in the argument or the introduction of a new idea.

Robert’s first encounter with Gil-Martin suggests something of his sinister power. Robert feels “a sort of invisible power that drew me towards him.” He identifies the moment of their meeting as “the beginning of a series of adventures which has puzzled myself, and will puzzle the world when I am no more in it” (p. 89). Gil-Martin’s “invisible power” seems to be at work even at this distance from the moment described; before continuing the story, Robert feels compelled to anticipate at length what readers will make of his narrative after his approaching death. With this interjection, Hogg emphasizes the fatal influence Gil-Martin exercises from his first appearance.

Topic sentences

To keep your points focused, it’s important to use a topic sentence at the beginning of each paragraph.

A good topic sentence allows a reader to see at a glance what the paragraph is about. It can introduce a new line of argument and connect or contrast it with the previous paragraph. Transition words like “however” or “moreover” are useful for creating smooth transitions:

… The story’s focus, therefore, is not upon the divine revelation that may be waiting beyond the door, but upon the mundane process of aging undergone by the man as he waits.

Nevertheless, the “radiance” that appears to stream from the door is typically treated as religious symbolism.

This topic sentence signals that the paragraph will address the question of religious symbolism, while the linking word “nevertheless” points out a contrast with the previous paragraph’s conclusion.

Using textual evidence

A key part of literary analysis is backing up your arguments with relevant evidence from the text. This involves introducing quotes from the text and explaining their significance to your point.

It’s important to contextualize quotes and explain why you’re using them; they should be properly introduced and analyzed, not treated as self-explanatory:

It isn’t always necessary to use a quote. Quoting is useful when you’re discussing the author’s language, but sometimes you’ll have to refer to plot points or structural elements that can’t be captured in a short quote.

In these cases, it’s more appropriate to paraphrase or summarize parts of the text—that is, to describe the relevant part in your own words:

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The conclusion of your analysis shouldn’t introduce any new quotations or arguments. Instead, it’s about wrapping up the essay. Here, you summarize your key points and try to emphasize their significance to the reader.

A good way to approach this is to briefly summarize your key arguments, and then stress the conclusion they’ve led you to, highlighting the new perspective your thesis provides on the text as a whole:

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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  • Post hoc fallacy
  • Appeal to authority fallacy
  • False cause fallacy
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By tracing the depiction of Frankenstein through the novel’s three volumes, I have demonstrated how the narrative structure shifts our perception of the character. While the Frankenstein of the first volume is depicted as having innocent intentions, the second and third volumes—first in the creature’s accusatory voice, and then in his own voice—increasingly undermine him, causing him to appear alternately ridiculous and vindictive. Far from the one-dimensional villain he is often taken to be, the character of Frankenstein is compelling because of the dynamic narrative frame in which he is placed. In this frame, Frankenstein’s narrative self-presentation responds to the images of him we see from others’ perspectives. This conclusion sheds new light on the novel, foregrounding Shelley’s unique layering of narrative perspectives and its importance for the depiction of character.

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Examples

High School Life Essay

life after high school short story essay

Anyone who has gone through high school knows that writing any kind of essay was a part of the experience. Whether it was a reflective essay, a narrative essay or an experience type of essay. All students went through that experience and the reactions were either positive or negative. But if you are a student looking for a way to write a good essay, or a teacher who wants to show their students on how to write a good high school life essay, these examples below will help you. Here are some 8+ High School Life Essay Examples you can choose and check out.

8+ High School Life Essay Examples

1. high school life reflective essay.

High School Life Reflective Essay

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2. Editable High School Life Essay

Editable High School Life Essay

Size: 88 KB

3.  High School Impact Life Essay

High School Impact Life Essay

4. Formal High School Life Essay

Formal High School Life Essay

5. High School Life Essay Example

High School Life Essay Example

6. High School Story of My Life Essay

High School Story of My Life Essay

Size: 33 KB

7. High School Life Essay Format

High School Life Essay Format

Size: 57 KB

8. High School Respect Life Essay Contest

High School Respect Life Essay Contest

Size: 353 KB

9. Simple High School Life Essay

Simple High School Life Essay

Size: 230 KB

Defining an Essay

An essay is a short piece of writing which shows information about the author’s opinion on a chosen topic. It is a logical or explanatory literary writing. This often deals with a topic from an exclusive point of view. 

Defining Narrative

A narrative essay is a type of literary writing that falls under the kinds of essays. This type of writing has a single point of view which the whole narrative revolves around. The characters, the incidents, the moments concentrate on a single pattern. A narrative essay mostly tells instants of your life or the life of someone you are writing about.

Defining Reflective

A reflective essay is another type of piece of literary writing. From the word reflect, to look back on the experiences, the struggles, and the triumphant times in your life. The author lets the readers know about how the changes that affected them has made them who they are today.

Defining Experience

An experience essay can often be called a personal essay. This type of essay can be a bit of a challenge for any student. As this experience essay mainly focuses on your personal experiences and personal life. This can be difficult for most as this can get either very emotional or too personal that some students do not wish to take on this kind of essay.

Tips on Writing a Life Essay

Now that we are done defining the different types of essays, you may now want to learn how to write a good life essay. Listed below are some tips to writing a Narrative Essay , a Reflective Essay , and an Experience Essay .

  • Narrative Essay: when writing the narrative essay , the first thing to do is to think of what you want to write about. Once you have done that, you write your introduction. Your introduction does not have to be quite long. This is merely your starting point. This is where you are introducing your topic to your readers. The next thing is your body of the essay. This is where you talk about your topic even more. This is where you are going to be drawing your readers in by talking about the characters in your essay, their life story all wrapped up in a single narration. The same goes with the last paragraph, your conclusion.
  • Reflective Essay:  Writing a reflective essay, think about what you want to write about. What you wish to reflect on. A reflective essay may depend on how long or how short you want it to be. The most important thing to do when you write it is to state what you are reflecting on, why you are reflecting on that and how it has affected your life in a good or bad way.
  • Experience Essay:  This may be difficult for some students to write, but here is a tip you can use to make it less difficult. Think about what you wish to share to your readers. From there, write what you want them to know about you. Expound on the things you wish for them to know and to see the author of the essay.

How much is the word count for an essay?

The word count of an essay may differ on the person who is writing the essay. However, the normal word count for high school is 300–1000 words

When writing the narrative, does it have to be one topic or can I add other topics?

Writing a narrative topic, you must only take one and talk about it.

I want to write a reflective essay but I have no idea what to talk about, what should I do?

Talk about what you wish. May it be a reflection about a moment of your life, or a reflection essay on a movie or show that moved you.

Essay writing has always been a part of any student’s high school or even earlier educational life. We cannot avoid it but we can learn to like it. Following the tips and the different types of essays for you to learn to write on, it will all be easier once you get the hang of it. Show them what you got. Write that awesome essay.

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Essay on Life after School

List of essays on life after school, essay on life after school – short essay (essay 1 – 150 words), essay on life after school – 10 lines written in english (essay 2 – 250 words), essay on life after school (essay 3 – 300 words), essay on life after school – facts (essay 4 – 400 words), essay on life after school (essay 5 – 500 words), essay on life after school – for school students (class 11 and 12 standard) (essay 6 – 600 words), essay on life after school – challenges and hardships (essay 7 – 750 words), essay on life after school – long essay for college and university students (essay 8 – 1000 words).

Life after school isn’t always easy and without stress. Once we leave school, things and situations around us begin to change in a very drastic way; life itself changes drastically for us. After leaving school we have a lot of new experiences and challenges.

School life is considered as the golden period of one’s life. However, as soon as one finishes the school and moves to college, there comes a sense of freedom as if one is a free bird now.

No matter what, life after school is entirely contrasted from what it used to be in school. It is important, however, to make the students aware of the challenges that lie ahead when they venture into life after school.

Audience: The below given essays are exclusively written for school students (Class 11 and 12 Standard) and college students.

Life after school can cause great anxiety in many young people. After the years we spend in education, one can be overwhelmed by all the responsibilities that await us and most of them are concerned with earning money.

Life after school can strike us suddenly and without warning so it is better to think about the future before it strikes us on the face. In the life after school, you need to take decisions regarding career choice and ultimately the job you want to do in future. Life after school comes as a natural transition from one period to another without too much stress.

Learning to lead a life after school is an important and the last step in our process of growing up and maturing as individuals. Making the necessary preparations is the best thing we can do to help us in this transition.

Introduction:

As a student, the focus is always on life after school. The ambitious minds of young students wander into every possibility in life. There is always the desire of a good life for everyone, which is the assumption of life after school. To some of the students, it is a motivating factor while to some it does not make an impact whatsoever. It is important to have a vision and a desire in life. Life after school is basically adulthood and there is a lot about adulthood that students do not yet understand. Most of us hate school because we believe that life out there is nice and warm.

Reality of Life After School:

The future is what begins in life after school. This is when important life decisions have to be made. It is evident that people end up in different paths from what they had anticipated but it is still important to have an idea of the path to take. Parents usually put pressure on their children and force them to make life choices that they are not comfortable with.

It is important that students seek advice from counsellors or any other role model to get guidance. When diving into life after school, it is not strange to change your mind on the career path you had earlier decided on because as people grow older, there is change in perspective which influence a change in decision-making. Dedication and determination are the important moral values that help to build better life after school.

I remember being both sad and happy when my school was about to end. Of course, I had my college to ponder about and at the same time, there was a sense of freedom and responsibilities as well.

A lot of people believe that life after school takes a U-turn as you realize how big the world truly is and how minuscule we may be. The truth really is that you need to keep an eye out on your career and understand well what you want to do and how you desire to live life after school.

The Career Foundation:

When I think about my life after school, I often wonder about the hours and hours I had put in to ensure that I got into the best college. I always believe that choosing a good college is essential because it kind of prepares you for your career and the rest of the life.

At the same time, my life after school was also devoted a great deal to understanding the different career streams and wondering what the right choice was for me. I was the kind of student who wanted to plan things well in advance and duly.

The Social Butterfly:

Also, when I look back at life after school, I realize that it was then that I really grew into being a social butterfly. I had always been an introvert in school but I knew I wanted to shirk that image more than ever. I started mixing with people, heading to parties and even tried and put in an effort to stay in touch with my friends as well. This helped me become a social butterfly and I believe that it also influenced the way I planned my career ahead.

So, life after school can vary a great deal based on who you are as a person!

Life after school is very different from life in the school. Life after school is very different and changes drastically once we are out of school. Schooling normally ends after class 12 or equivalent or sometimes after class 10.

School Life:

While in school, we are considered as children and our parents and teachers take all the decisions for us. We have strict rules that needs to be obeyed. The school timings, teaching-study pattern, activities and playtime – everything is fixed as decided by teachers and by parents at home. We do not take decision and the strict routine and rigid rules are quite exhausting. The advantage in school life is that we live a carefree life and we do not have to worry about the consequences.

Take Decisions:

All above changes after school and we face new experiences every day. As we step out of the school, we get flexibility and choices but we need to take decisions and be responsible for the consequences. Therefore, we have to be very careful about every decision we take in the life after school.

Challenges of Life After School:

Life after school is full of challenges. One of the biggest challenge is to decide the career and build it – to go for higher studies or to do job or to be an entrepreneur – all are to make a good living. This is most critical issue in life after school. For higher studies, we need to decide career path – engineering, science, medical, humanities, law – research or service – public or private sector, etc., and to pursue the path, choose a good course-university-college and attain required qualifications. A search needs to be done and several factors be considered before finalizing. If the decision is job, we need to hunt for job opportunities. To be an entrepreneur, we need to be innovative. We need to face the real world, meet, deal and build contacts with all kinds of people in the life after school.

Life After School is Full of Challenges:

The freedom to choose – career, course, job, life partner, recognition, decent living etc., pose continuous challenges at every step after we move out of school and get into life after school. However, freedom comes with responsibilities. We are accountable for our decisions and actions. Maintaining balance between personal and professional life is yet another challenge in life after school. Life can be handled smartly if we plan things properly and work diligently.

Life after school isn’t always easy and without stress. Once we leave school, things and situations around us begin to change in a very drastic way; life itself changes drastically for us. After leaving school we have a lot of new experiences and challenges. We begin to realise that the world is a lot different than we thought. As we leave school, we discover that every step and decision we take matters a lot and we need to start paying full attention to them. This period is a very important phase in our lives.

It is particularly during this period that we learn a lot of things that can help us advance in life. Once we are out of school and without the guidance and check up of teachers and professionals we begin to see who we truly are and our personality comes out. It is during this period that our parents grant us the opportunity to take independent decisions on our own.

What we can make out of life after school:

There are a lot of things we should try to do in life after school to help develop ourselves.

We will be looking at some of the things we can do below:

1. Pursue Hobbies:

With all of the stress of school including the bulky syllabus, assignments and other challenges we face in school, it is almost impossible for us to create time to go after all of our habits. When we leave school, before taking any further decisions or steps in our lives, we should take time to pursue all of our hobbies and develop skills that might be useful for us in the future. The truth is that the little period after school might be the only time we will ever have to ourselves. Therefore, it is best to use the time to do the things we love and enjoy and also try to learn new skills that might come in handy in the future.

2. Make Time for Personal Relationships:

Because of the constant pressure to study and the very strict schedule. Students don’t usually have the time to spend time with their relatives and loved ones, attend family functions and even go on trips and vacations with their friends. All of the above listed things can be done after school. It is important to note that taking time out to be with friends and family is essential for our development. We are able to fully understand all of these relationships and value them a lot more. It is very important that we make time for personal relationships in life after school.

3. Take Personal Decisions:

While we were in school, we didn’t take decisions of our own. Most of our decisions as students are largely influenced by our parents and teachers in school. Our teachers have a lot of say on our lives as students, most parents entrust the education of their children into the hands of the teachers. Once we live school and don’t have teachers again, we should start taking decisions of our own.

Life after school can be tough exciting and frustrating. As young people, schools have always provided a comfort zone. There is no obligation to work or provide for anyone since your needs are met by family. Also, aside from passing your exams, there is no intense pressure to succeed.

However, as soon as you leave school, you are faced with a hostile environment. Everyone is out for himself and you quickly realize that for the first time you are alone. Also, you suddenly have bills to pay and responsibilities to bear.

Life after school can also be rewarding. You no longer have to listen to anyone about your personal decisions. You are free to think about the future direction of your life. In other words, your destiny is finally in your hands.

Taking Your Fears for Life after School:

Taking on this phase of your life can be daunting challenging. The thought of fending for yourself alone can give you Goosebumps. The safety net of having less responsibility and being concerned about yourself alone is about to be taken off. So it’s only natural that you’re scared of what’s coming next.

However, to properly navigate this transition in your life, you must rid yourself of fear. Fear paralyzes the mind and rids it of its ability to respond to challenging situations. Thus, you would not get too far in life after school if you maintain this state of mind.

The better approach is to use your fears as a fuel for your drive to succeed. See life after school as an opportunity to surprise yourself and prove your critics wrong. This way you’ll increase your chances of success.

Preparing for Life after School:

The skills required to succeed when you were in school are not the same skills needed on the outside. For instance, to pass an exam all you have to do is study and have a decent ability to remember facts. However, life after schools dictates that you are able to solve daily challenges by rational thinking.

Thus, while you are in school, there are certain skills that you must learn to succeed on the outside.

Some of them are highlighted below:

i. Logical thinking:

Life after school would bombard you with complex problems that requires depth to solve. In school, you were probably given parameters that would help you solve your problems. However, life after school is complex and lawless. What matters, in this case, is the result. You would also get little or no help in solving your problems.

Thus, to survive in this setting you need to learn how to think logically. This form of thinking involves making sound deductions from a given set of facts. This skill would be important in several parts of your life after school.

ii. Taking responsibility:

You probably refused to be the group leader in school or failed to do your assignments a few times with little or no repercussions. Life after school isn’t so forgiving in similar circumstances. When you refuse to take responsibility, the consequences can be immediate and damning.

iii. Perseverance:

Once you step out of the comfort zone of your various campuses, things would not always go your way. Life after school demands that you maintain a tough skin when faced with challenges. The ability to persevere in the face of a daunting task is the difference between champions and losers.

iv. Management:

The ability to manage a situation cannot be overemphasized. If you cannot control how you spend your time, money and your relationship with people, life after school might be rocky for you. Consequently, you must learn to manage all the resources at your disposal.

Conclusion:

Growth can be painful because of the changes it brings along with it. Life after school is not an exception to this rule. See this process as an avenue to grow and you’ll be fine.

School life is always memorable and carefree time the students have as they are free of any responsibilities and seriousness rather than studies. Once this is finished, then your life will take a sharp turn to a completely different atmosphere.

The change in the life of a student from the secured and guided school to a rather responsible and independent life after school is going to be challenging. Teachers and parents try their best to mold the students to be able to face these challenges, however, it is not that easy to pass this phase of life after school.

Comparison of both Life Phases:

The comparatively carefree life they lived as a school student is not going to continue in life after school. During school, in your home, everything was decided and spoon fed to you by your parents. From the time you wake up to the food you eat to the school you study, everything was decided by them.

There were fixed decisions taken by your parents about your mode of studies and the free time activities you do. Your study time was set by them and play times too. All these decisions made will help the students to live a free-minded and happy life, which was controlled and well balanced by the parents. They won’t be asked to choose or take any options of their actual interest, which in turn may affect the person badly. But the good part was that life was easier and stress-free.

At school, all the activities and studies were under the strict supervision of your teachers. They constantly guided you to the correct path and according to the school rules, they led you to the disciplined school life. They were there to continuously observe your actions and punish you when you are wrong. Your life was moving according to the school time and timetables, which were set by the elders. The students didn’t get to make any decisions of their interest.

But thing are completely in life after school. The best part in life after school is that the students get more free decision making authorities. You can decide your stream of interest and further proceed with your career. The old school pattern will be totally deleted and in this phase, once your study time is over you can do any activity of your interest. Colleges won’t be as strict as schools and most probably there won’t be anyone to control your wishes. You can pursue your dreams and spend the extra time as you wish.

Even though this freedom is a gift, it also means an extra effort should be put from your part.

Challenges and Hardships:

Once you are out of school life, the actually responsible section of your life has started, where you will be considered responsible for every action you take and the consequences. Each and every option you choose will lead you to some part of your future career, whether success or failure. The freedom of decision making should not be taken lightly and proper researches should be done before fixing on any decision.

Life after school is full of responsibilities and expectations. We should take the responsibility of parents, who took care of you from your childhood and look after them from then on. Another responsibility and challenge are to build a good career. This can be done by deciding the right stream that compliments your interest and further work harder for achieving an admission in a reputed college through selection exams.

Once you start your college life, your challenges increases trying to complete the course with good marks and the list will go on till you think your goal is attained. When you complete your whole study procedure, you will be facing the real world trying to get a good job and a living. In this stage, it will be challenging and stressful to maintain calm and composed life.

Unlike the school atmosphere, in life after school, you will be made to mingle with more diverse types of people and environments, whether at your college or at your workplace. There will be a need to choose your contacts and friends wisely, which is also a challenge as they will be playing a major role in your further growth.

All these processes will completely be weighing a lot on your shoulders, once you step out of your school life. But when you start the journey, you will remember that many lessons taught by your teachers and parents will help you to take many valuable decisions. All the strict rules and discipline you learned from school will help you to lead a smooth life in the life after school.

In India, a child on attaining the age of three is required to be admitted to a school for formal schooling. The child remains in school for fourteen years and passes out only after completing class twelfth. At this time around, the child is in his / her teens at around 17 years of age. The remaining part of life is considered as life after school. But, the question is what life is after school? Is it the same what you had in school or is it totally in contrast to the school life?

The College Life:

First and foremost challenge a student faces in his /her life after school is choosing the right college. At times, you may not have the desired marks required to get admission in the college of your choice. This is perhaps the first learning of life after school. It is that you don’t get things on a platter and you have to earn them. So, you get to choose a college as per your efforts done during your school time.

Having said that another important lesson of life learnt here is that it not the end of the road. What if the college is not the one you dreamt, try and choose the course of your choice as your career is dependent on the course you choose, be it a science stream, some field of accounts or a graduation in subjects related to humanities. Every subject has its own future.

New Friends Vs. the Older Ones:

Regardless of whether it sounds unfathomable at the present time, your whole lot of friends may not stay together with you for your lifetime. The vast majority of friends keep in contact with a bunch of their absolute best companions from secondary school and that is it. With time, fiends tend to keep busy and you may not able to enjoy those times of enjoyment with your friends like the one you used to have in your school life. In the event that that idea makes you pitiful, don’t stress, the general group who are extremely worth keeping around in your life will dependably be there for you. Moreover, you are bound to make new friends as you grow up and meet new people.

The Process of Growing Up:

In life after school, Graduation is a mammoth achievement; however, it is not everything in the world. There are still more milestones to come and graduation is just the beginning. You’re still going to feel like a lost little child some of the time, particularly when it comes to documentation for that new occupation or settle on a significant choice about your master’s degree. The mystery is realizing that each and every other individual your age feels the very same way.

Becoming Fearless:

Life after school makes you fearless. Since you have a confirmation added to your collection, the result of long periods of diligent work and commitment, you realize you can go up against any test and finish it with energy. It means that you become more fearless with age. And to top it, mostly it is for your own betterment and you learn to take risks in life. Nothing seems harder to achieve and there is this strong desire to show the world what you are capable of.

Changing Expectations of Parents:

But, there is another side of the coins as well. Growing up and living a life after school comes with responsibilities also. Especially at home, your parents expect much more from you than when you were at school. First of all, they probably won’t have disapproved of when you skipped keeping your utensils in the kitchen once you are done with your lunch or dinner. In any case, now that you’re out of school, they will begin treating you like a genuine grown-up, which implies more obligations. Here’s the peculiar thing of managing yourself is something you may hate to do. It may make you think that your parents have changed. However, it is just that you have grown up.

The First Thought of Money:

You know growing up is quite an expensive affair and you must have often seen your parents struggling with money matters in trying to provide you with all that you dream of. In any case, now that you’re a secondary school graduate, you’ll be paying for your own gas, titbits, and garments soon, and perhaps more. So, it is time for a payback now. The drive to make and spare the money you earn is quite natural. Remember, the first occasion when you see a noteworthy number in your financial balance is the most fulfilling inclination on earth. It gives you that immense peace of mind for which you would have probably been dreaming since your school days.

All is not over yet. There are many other things which are bound to happen to you when you live your life after school. For instance, you grow up and do not look the same cute baby you were in school. You need to accept the changes in your body as well. Additionally, you have longer schedules to adjust to and remember, managing personal and professional life in today’s competitive times is not an easy task.

Growing up is a natural part of our life cycle. So is life after school. It happens to everyone. So there is nothing that you are the first one of the planet to have to go through it.

However, one thing you must not forget is that you must accept the changes in your life in a positive manner and just don’t succumb to the pressures of the real world.

The world is a beautiful place to live in and there is life beyond school. And trust your elders, the life after school is much enjoyable, have a lot of stress as well as emotions but in the end, it gives you the freedom to live a life of your choice. It is up to you what you want to make of it. So, dream big today and strive to achieve your goals once you step out for life after school.

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Essay on High School Life Experience

Students are often asked to write an essay on High School Life Experience in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on High School Life Experience

Introduction.

High school life is a significant phase in everyone’s life. It is a time of growth, learning, and friendships. It brings a lot of new experiences and challenges, shaping us into the individuals we become.

Academic Journey

High school is a crucial time in our academic journey. We study various subjects, each one opening a new world of knowledge. We learn to balance our time between studies, extracurricular activities, and social life. It’s during these years that we start to understand our interests and strengths.

Friendships and Social Life

High school is also a time for friendships. We meet different people, share experiences, and learn about diverse cultures and values. Our social life in high school helps us develop our social skills and understand the importance of teamwork and cooperation.

Challenges and Growth

High school isn’t always easy. We face challenges, both academically and personally. These challenges help us grow. We learn to deal with stress, manage our time, and make decisions. These experiences make us stronger and prepare us for the future.

In conclusion, high school life is a mix of learning, friendships, and personal growth. It’s a time that shapes our future and helps us understand who we are. It’s a journey that leaves us with unforgettable memories and valuable life lessons.

250 Words Essay on High School Life Experience

Beginning of high school.

High school life is a unique period in our lives. It’s a time when we start to grow up and learn about the world. When we first enter high school, everything is new and exciting. We meet new friends, learn new subjects, and start to feel more grown-up. It’s a time of change and discovery.

Academic Challenges

High school is often a time when we face many academic challenges. We study a wide range of subjects and sometimes the workload can be tough. We learn to manage our time and work hard to achieve good grades. It’s a time when we start to understand the importance of education in our lives.

Social Experiences

High school life is not just about studying. It’s also a time when we build social skills. We make friends, join clubs, and take part in sports and other activities. These experiences help us to learn about teamwork, leadership, and communication. They also make our high school life fun and memorable.

Preparing for the Future

High school is also a time when we start to think about our future. We begin to explore our interests and talents. We start to think about what we want to do after high school. It’s a time when we start to shape our dreams and goals.

In conclusion, high school life is a mix of academic challenges, social experiences, and future planning. It’s a time of growth and discovery that prepares us for the next stage of our lives.

500 Words Essay on High School Life Experience

High school life is a significant stage in everyone’s life. It is a time filled with growth, learning, and change. This essay will explore the unique aspects of high school life experience.

One of the main parts of high school life is academics. During these years, students learn about various subjects like Maths, Science, Social Science, and English. They also learn to manage their time between different subjects and homework. This helps them become responsible and organized.

Social Life

High school life is not just about studies. It is also about making new friends and learning about teamwork. Students participate in group projects, sports, and other activities. This helps them understand how to work in a team and how to deal with different types of people. They also learn to respect others’ viewpoints.

Extra-Curricular Activities

Extra-curricular activities play a vital role in high school life. These activities may include sports, music, art, and clubs. They help students explore their interests and develop new skills. They also provide a break from academic work and help students relax and enjoy.

Personal Growth

High school life contributes to personal growth. Students learn to make decisions on their own. They also learn to handle pressure, whether it is related to studies or personal life. This helps them become independent and confident.

High school life also comes with its share of challenges. These may include dealing with peer pressure, managing time, and coping with academic stress. These challenges teach students how to face difficulties and overcome them.

In conclusion, high school life is a mix of learning, growth, and challenges. It helps students become responsible, confident, and independent. It also prepares them for the future. So, students should make the most of their high school life experience.

The high school life experience is not just about studying. It’s about learning life skills, making friends, and growing as a person. It’s a time of change and growth, and it’s a time that will shape who you become in the future. So, cherish every moment of your high school life because it is a once in a lifetime experience.

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Parents of Michigan School Shooter Sentenced to 10 to 15 Years in Prison

Jennifer and James Crumbley, whose son killed four people, each faced up to 15 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter convictions.

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Jennifer Crumbley in a striped shirt sits not far from her husband James, in orange prison gear.

By Jacey Fortin and Anna Betts

Jennifer and James Crumbley, who were convicted of involuntary manslaughter for failing to prevent their teenage son from killing four fellow students in the deadliest school shooting in Michigan’s history, were each sentenced on Tuesday to 10 to 15 years in prison.

Their separate jury trials ended in guilty verdicts in February and March , making them the first parents in the country to be convicted over the deaths caused by their child in a mass shooting.

Involuntary manslaughter charges carry a penalty in Michigan of up to 15 years in prison, and prosecutors asked in sentencing memos filed to the court last week that the Crumbleys each serve at least 10 years. Both have been in jail for more than two years while awaiting trial and will receive credit for time served.

“Parents are not expected to be psychic,” Judge Cheryl Matthews of the Oakland County Circuit Court in Pontiac, Mich., said before issuing the sentence. “But these convictions are not about poor parenting. These convictions confirm repeated acts or lack of acts that could have halted an oncoming runaway train — repeatedly ignoring things that would make a reasonable person feel the hair on the back of her neck stand up.”

Before the hearing, prosecutors said that Ms. Crumbley, 46, was asking to be sentenced to house arrest on her defense lawyer’s property, rather than serving prison time. And Mr. Crumbley, 47, said that he had been wrongly convicted and his sentence should amount to the time he had already served in prison, adding that he felt “absolutely horrible” about what had happened.

On Tuesday, each of them spoke in the hearing before the judge pronounced sentence.

“I stand today not to ask for your forgiveness, as I know it may be beyond reach, but to express my sincerest apologies for the pain that has been caused,” Ms. Crumbley said in court, addressing the relatives of students who were killed.

Mr. Crumbley also apologized. “I cannot express how much I wish that I had known what was going on with him or what was going to happen, because I absolutely would have done a lot of things differently,” he said.

Relatives of some of the victims also spoke during the hearing, describing the overwhelming effects the shooting had on their lives.

“The ripple effects of both James’s and Jennifer’s failures to act have devastated us all,” said Jill Soave, the mother of Justin Shilling, 17, who was killed in the shooting at Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021. “This tragedy was completely preventable. If only they had done something, your honor, anything, to shift the course events on Nov. 30, then our four angels would be here today.”

Steve St. Juliana, whose daughter, Hana, 14, was killed, said that the Crumbleys continued to fail to take responsibility for what had happened.

“They chose to stay quiet,” he said. “They chose to ignore the warning signs. And now, as we’ve heard through all of the objections, they continue to choose to blame everyone but themselves.”

The Crumbleys’ son, Ethan, was 15 when he carried out the shooting that killed Justin and Hana, as well as Madisyn Baldwin, 17, and Tate Myre, 16. Seven others were injured. Ethan Crumbley pleaded guilty to 24 charges, including first-degree murder, and was sentenced last year to life in prison without parole . He is still eligible to appeal that decision. His parents may appeal, too.

In the trials of both parents, prosecutors focused in part on their failure to remove their son from school after he made a violent drawing on the morning of the shooting. It included a written plea for help.

They also emphasized Ethan’s access to a handgun that Mr. Crumbley had purchased. And they said that Ms. Crumbley had missed signs that her son was struggling with his mental health, adding that she took him to a gun range just days before the shooting.

Defense lawyers for both parents said they could not have foreseen the unspeakable violence their son would commit.

Ms. Crumbley grew up in Clarkston, a Detroit suburb about 20 minutes from Oxford, her lawyer said during a hearing after the couple’s arrest in 2021 . Before her arrest, she had worked as a marketing director, her lawyer said.

Mr. Crumbley’s job history included work at a handful of small software and technology companies.

The couple once lived in Florida but returned to Michigan several years ago, their lawyers said. They bought their home near downtown Oxford in 2015.

The trials of Jennifer and James Crumbley became a lightning rod for issues of parental responsibility at a time of high-profile gun violence by minors. In recent months, parents in other states have pleaded guilty to charges of reckless conduct or neglect after their children injured or killed others with guns.

But the manslaughter charges against the Crumbleys were unique, and legal experts said their trials could serve as a playbook for other prosecutors who seek to hold parents accountable in the future.

Ekow Yankah, a professor at the University of Michigan Law School, said the effect of the ruling on Tuesday might be felt beyond the state.

“This is going to be precedent, most obviously in Michigan and its home jurisdiction, but prosecutors all over the country will see this as a new and viable form of liability,” Mr. Yankah said. “I think we should not underestimate the precedential power of this case, even as we recognize that the facts were quite extraordinary.”

For Matthew Schneider, a former United States attorney in Michigan, what makes this case so different from many others is that most criminal sentences are related to the actions of a defendant, rather than being “about inactions, and how the inactions of a person result in a criminal sentence.”

The sentencing is “very much about making an example of the defendants,” Mr. Schneider said. “This is a shot across the bow to all parents, to all people who have firearms in their house, to keep them locked up, if they could be in the hands of the wrong people.”

Jacey Fortin covers a wide range of subjects for the National desk of The Times, including extreme weather, court cases and state politics all across the country. More about Jacey Fortin

Anna Betts reports on national events, including politics, education, and natural or man-made disasters, among other things. More about Anna Betts

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  11. Life After High School by Joyce Carol Oates

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    After graduating high school I finally came to a conclusion of what I wanted to do with my life. My senior year in high school not only did my hopes change multiple times they also changed tremendously. One of the biggest obstacles that I ran into or that I face everyday is my cell phone. My cell phone. 261 Words.