Dear college senior,

I know that it can be overwhelming just thinking about the fact that you will soon be going into your last year as a college student (excluding grad school if you're interested) and even sooner to the real world.

I know what may be going through your head "So what now?" "What am I going to do? I have no clue" or even "I'm ready to take on this challenge". Whichever way you are feeling, I want you to go in with a positive mindset.

Part of our growth requires stepping out of our comfort zone. Who said endings couldn't be happy ones?

With each class that you take, each professor you encounter, each colleague you study with, be thankful for each and every one of them. They were and will be one of the biggest life lessons you will have learned throughout your college career and the best ones to have memories of.

Now just because you are a senior, doesn't mean it is time to slack! I know, I know it is so tempting since we are so close to the finish line. But I know that every essay and every math problem you do, you will be preparing yourself for the day you have been waiting to come or the one you don't want to end. I promise it will all be worth it.

Be proud for coming this far. For all those years in a dorm with new roommates and its ups and downs. They will be missed, but they have contributed to your growth as a human being.

Now it all doesn't have to be studying and more studying. Go out with your friends, your roommates, have a drink, eat great food, see a show, live before it will be too late to enjoy free nights and free time.

It won't seem real to you. Not when you receive your cap and gown measurements, not during your senior portraits, but maybe as soon as you are surrounded by thousands of nervous and/or clueless people like you who have gone through what you have gone through at graduation.

I know you may not want to leave your comfort zone, but let's make this last year a good one filled with lots of stories and memories to tell.

Lots of luck,

Your fellow senior friend.