Dear Senior,

This year is a very strange one because you’re almost finished, and have simultaneously just begun. Never in your 17 or 18 year old life have you had a year that will fly past you as quickly as this one will seem to, while also being the slowest, most grueling, wait for graduation. I loved my roller coaster of a senior year, but one mistake I will warn you against is do not wait for graduation.

This year, resolve yourself to being anything but stagnant. Upcoming graduation is not something you should wait for, but a deadline to work against. Pack as much insanity into that time as possible.

You will stress yourself out about college applications until Christmas, and that is okay! Apply to no more than 9 universities; some that you know will be a long shot to get into, some on target with your academic abilities, and some you feel confidently safe about. Remember that every school you apply to, you apply to twice, and individually from each other, because of financial aid apps.

Try something you’ve always wanted to this year, like an instrument or photography or Youth in Government because it’s your last shot to do so before paying a lot more money to try new stuff in college.

Love on your family, and stay in on a Friday night every once in awhile to hang out with them. Your moving away next year will affect them so much more than you anticipate. Don’t wait until the summer before you leave to start doing this; I still feel guilty for not choosing to be home enough.

Don’t be scared to date someone or fall in love your senior year. So many seniors decide not to date wonderful people because they know their time together might be short, but I’m here to tell you that is a cop out. According to Wayne Gretzky, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” That quote will start to make more of an indentation on your life than it used to.

Don’t be scared to be in a long distance relationship. If you mutually decide that the other person is worthwhile, things can work out beautifully. My current boyfriend and I are living proof.

The people that you genuinely care to be friends with will become increasingly clearer as your senior year progresses, and, to your surprise, they may not be the same people you’ve stuck with in previous years.

As midterms, AP exams, and graduation approach, there will most definitely be times when you have to choose between studying and sleep. Pick sleep. Knowledge on a test is worth nothing if you aren’t alive enough to recall the information you studied.

When you come back to school in January, senioritis will hit an all-time high. You will feel yourself slipping, but that is the time to kick it into overdrive and perform really well in school. You will see your peers backsliding, but choosing to keep going strong when everyone around you doesn’t will be invaluable to you when the end of the year comes around.

Befriend your guidance counselor. Just do it. The counseling office is such an underutilized resource.

Lastly, say yes to everything. Overbook yourself, stay out until stupid o’clock in the morning when you can, start making some money of your own because it’s satisfying to monetarily take care of yourself, buy tickets to that concert or festival, don’t beat yourself up when you inevitably do something you regret, explore your city in ways you haven’t before, and take pictures of everything all the time.

High school is coming to a close and everything else in your life is just getting started, but make use of every little moment of your senior year because by the end of it, if you’re doing something right, you will have grown into a different person.

You’ve got this.