“The high school years” are saturated with stress and an impending sense of doom during exam season; but here are a few survival techniques to help along the way.

Let’s break it down fast: 1 Girls rule, boys drool

Don’t fall head-over-heels in love with the same brown-haired, blue-eyed, Backstreet Boy all throughout high school. He’s totally not worth it.

There’s a lot more to life than just being so-and-so’s girlfriend or the girl talking to the boy with cute, luscious hair. This is kind of tough to learn; but believe it or not, it’s true.

What’s most important is finding the right friends. It’s about finding the good ones, sticking to them like they’re the air you breathe, protecting them like a first-born child. And if they’re girls, never, ever letting them believe they’re fat. Case closed. 2 Avoiding the Romeo & Juliets

Welcome to the hallways of high school. There’s always plenty of X and Y chromosomes merging together and joined-at-the-hip romantics who just can’t seem to get enough of each other. But hey, that’s high school.

Everyone encounters at least one awkward situation in high school. From things like lockering next to a “serious” couple, to even discovering a duet in the back of the library –– and let’s just say…they weren’t reading.

The only way to avoid these common make-out sessions: either run in the opposite direction with complete horror or say “excuse me” and ruin their perfect “Notebook” moment. Both seem to work every time, but the second one usually ends less awkwardly. 3 Don’t be TWPical

It’s time to call out those Regina George wannabes. Listen, just because it doesn’t seem like it now, that coveted reputation will mean nothing after graduation. It’s all a big hype, making everyone concerned how people perceive them.

So be the Janis Ian going against society’s idea of perfect; or the Cady Heron joining Mathletes, even though it’s considered “social suicide.” Or even be the Kevin G, not letting the haters stop him from doing his “thang.”

In the end it won’t matter. 4 Be the nerd

An old adage says, “Ten years down the road, n-e-r-d translates to another four letter word: b-o-s-s.”

It’s understandable. Being smart can be tough. There’s chemistry, which causes a lot of hair pulling and questions like, “Where is spontaneous combustion going to apply in life?” and “Why care what Avogadro’s number is?” (For the record, it is 6.02 x 1023.)

But in the end, being the class nerd pays off. It’s actually really attractive. And who knows, that really smart kid who sits first row in Calculus could be the next Steve Jobs (a.k.a super rich). 5 Enjoy it

And the final piece of advice is, to simply, enjoy it. Yes, high school can be a drag, especially in first hour at 7:20 a.m.; but surprisingly it’s not the worst three years of life. As Ferris Bueller said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could just miss it.”

(If you offered me a million dollars and a life’s supply of Oreos, I wouldn’t do it again. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have the stamina to survive it twice; but best of luck. Remember to always follow your inner Lizzie McGuire and become a famous popstar during your 8th grade graduation field trip to Rome.)