Dear high school seniors,

I know this year is stressful. I know you definitely have "senior-itis" by now, but you can't really let the side effects consume you, because you have too much on your plate to ignore it. I know you also worry about leaving your friends once you graduate, and possibly growing apart from a majority of them. I know that you feel like you've never had so much to do in your life, and chances are, you're right. I know you feel pressured to make decisions you're not ready to make. I know you feel scared sometimes.

And I know it's exhausting and traumatizing having to answer (or not answering) question after question from family members, family friends, friends, friends of friends, your friend's parents, and even random strangers, about what you're going to do after you graduate. Especially when you have no idea what that is. You're on the clock 24/7 and as much as you want to, you can't escape the questions or decisions about college and your future, and it's overwhelming. I know. I know because I've been there, on overload. So trust me when I say that if you don't know what you want to do for the rest of your life by tomorrow, next week, next month, or even next year: It's okay. Breathe.

It's true that your future is important and that it requires a plan, but you don't have to know every detail, especially not right now. So stop trying. Your future and your life is a long process, it's not decided overnight or determined by an acceptance letter. Believe it or not, choosing a school or college is not a life-or-death decision, but it is your decision, and making it is hard to do. And granted, for some people it's not. Some people know (or think they know) exactly what they want to do, what school they want to go to, the degree they want to pursue, and what kind of job they want. But not everyone does. In fact, most people don't. And for you, it's just not that easy. But guess what? It's not supposed to be easy. Deciding on a college is supposed to freak you out a little bit. It's supposed to push you to the verge of a breakdown, and successfully knock you over at least once or twice. It's normal. Feeling scared and not knowing is normal. Trust me. People put on a front. Nobody, and I mean nobody, has their entire life planned out. So relax. You're doing just fine.

I'm in my third year of college and I'm still figuring out exactly what I want to do. Sometimes, I still feel scared. My freshman year, I went in undecided and didn't choose a major because I wasn't ready. My two older sisters both knew exactly what they wanted to do, so of course I felt like I was doomed. I thought that if I didn't already know what I wanted to do, I never would. I was wrong, and you are too. By my second semester, I got more of a sense for what I enjoyed by taking general education classes, and felt confident enough to declare a major in advertising. Before I got to college I didn't know what I wanted. Not a clue. And before I started classes, I wasn't even sure what I was interested in. I didn't understand or discover some of my greatest passions until I was exposed to new opportunities and encouraged (or forced) to open up my mind. What I'm trying to say is, you have time.

It takes time to learn what your interests are and what you're passionate about, so if you don't know what you want to do yet, it's okay. As long as you focus on growing and learning about new things, you'll figure out what your interests are. As someone who has been there, here's my advice:

Don't force yourself to make decisions you're not ready or not comfortable enough to make. And when you do make a decision, make it for you. This is supposed to be a selfish decision. Make sure you choose the school you want, based on how you feel about it, and not how your friends, parents, or teachers feel about it. You are the one who is going there for the next two to four (or more) years, not them. So forget about reputations and follow your gut. Take it day by day. Don't run from or ignore your decisions. Be patient and work on figuring it out as you go. Talk about it with someone so that you can understand what's most important to you and why. Do the best you can to be aware of your interests everyday, so that you can learn what you truly want. If you do that, you'll be fine. And my last piece of advice is this: Don't worry about the money. Worry about discovering what makes you happy and do the thing that makes you come alive.