I know you, because I have been you. I have been the high school senior that you are right about now: catching glimpses of yourself in the mirror in your prom dress and realizing you are a woman now, not a little girl, participating in your last sporting event, realizing, "Wow, mom and dad didn't lie. These four years did go by quick."

Before you know it, you will be sitting beside your best friend in a cap and gown. Here are some things you need to know, girl:

First of all, I know it's hard. I know you are so excited to move away and go to college, but quit wishing your time away. Four years is a drop in the ocean that is your life. So even though biology class totally sucks, live in the moment of it. Laugh when your teacher makes the corny joke, save the notes you pass, quit rolling your eyes at everything.

You are going to miss this. No, not quoting the country song. You will miss this five years down the road when your old best friend is getting engaged, or when the guy that sat by you in algebra has his first kid, or your find yourself paying overpriced bills in an underfurnished apartment. Take advantage of the simplicity of high school while you can.

College isn't as easy as talking to your teacher the day you forget your homework or when you do really bad on an exam. It isn't worksheets and computer lab time and art class and pep rallies. College stressful, it's unfair, it's paying bills, and it's missing your dog and being totally taken advantage of by the world at times.

My point here isn't to make you scared of college, but just appreciate the simplicity of what you have while you have it. But in the same breath, please know that life gets better than dating the quarterback and going to your junior year Santa switch. And it most certainly gets better than the girls whispering about you in third period history class and the boy who dumped you two weeks before prom.

I know things like that seem like the end of the world, trust me, I do. But, as I said, it is a drop in the ocean. Those girls will get theirs ... and that guy that dumped you two weeks before prom? You won't even remember his name (and odds are, he's going to text you again one day, years from now and it will give you satisfaction like you would not believe).

I know a million people in passing have told you that high school will be the best four years of your life. But let me fill you in on a little secret: Those people are big fat liars. College will bring you the best days of your life. You will probably meet "the boy" and you'll most likely meet your maid of honor here too. You will find yourself achieving things that you never in a million years thought was possible at 16. Yes, you are going to do amazing things here.

But as I sit here, a year-and-a-half out from graduating college, I tell you again: Even these are not the best years of your life.The day you get married, the day you meet your children, the day you buy your own car, close on your own house, land your dream job – those are going to be the best years of your life. College gives you a taste of the good life, but it also teaches you how to constitute what will be your good days and what will be your best days.

Another thing, college is not what you expect it to be in the least. Given those expectations, please know that you do not have to stray away from who you are to fit in in college.You don’t have to go out and party every weekend to find fun friends; some of your best friends you will meet beside you in a lecture hall. You don’t have to give up your innocence before you come here, you don’t need to be an item for a guy and you don’t need to look like a model to find a boyfriend. All the best boys will give you a double take in sweats and a messy bun (that’s how you will look most of the time after all).

College is filled with thousands upon thousands of people and each and every one are different.You will find your group without acting like a party animal and you will find your other half without dressing like a Kardashian. It is OK to camp out in the library instead of a packed apartment on Saturday nights and it is certainly OK to let yourself be comfortable. In the world we live in today, it’s hard enough to be a girl, so don’t make it harder on yourself by constantly feeling demanded to be something you are not.

Perhaps the most challenging part of college is this, and I learned it the hard way: People will fool you. So always, always, always use that God-given womanly intuition and go with your gut when you feel something is wrong or out of place. You are coming from high school, where you have shared a locker with the same kid since pre-K; you are used to knowing every little thing about every single person. Please be cautious that this is not the case in college. Utilize your trust, and give it sparingly. People will tell you things about themselves, and they may be convincing, but how can you know anything is true about someone you are just meeting? Feel people out before you give them the precious gift of your trust, for once you give it, it’s hard to take it back.

Finally, go give your mom and dad a hug, because you are going to miss them.Tussle your little brothers hair, let your little sister use your nail polish and give your dog an extra bone because, someday soon, you will be sitting all alone in a dorm room where you don’t yet know anyone, and trust me, it’s a lot more intimidating than it seems. You will miss home-cooked food, so quit begging your parents to take you out every night. Do a load of laundry and cherish not having to use the last quarter to your name to start the machines.

Your parents have been there, done that when it comes to being a twentysomething, so reach out to them any and every time you need them — they are the only people in this world that truly want to see you succeed so they won’t ever steer you wrong. You will value your mother’s wisdom more than you may ever know while you are a college girl, it will get you out of a whole bunch of sticky situations. Quit rolling your eyes and sighing when your parents want to pack up and have a family night at your grandparents. Soon, these will be your most cherished memories.

I know that, right now, all you want to do is get out on your own and be independent, but right now, all I want to do is curl up in my bed at home and have my mom tuck me in again. You’ll be in my shoes soon, girlfriend, you’ll know what I mean.

College is a time to be you. College, however, can be really hard on a girl. Enjoy the rest of your time in high school, be yourself in college, be careful who you trust, and cherish the moments you have now. Dance like crazy at your last prom, stay up until sunrise after you walk at graduation, keep in touch with your friends, and most of all, don’t stray too far trying to find yourself; you’ll most likely get lost along the way and realize you knew yourself all along.

Live it up in college, join clubs, meet friends, make midnight Denny’s runs and study your booty off. These are the days that bridge you to the rest of your life, so it isn’t time to get lazy now! Don’t let the senioritis get the best of you, and I’ll see you next fall. I can’t wait to see the amazing things you do with your life, girl.