Dear Rambunctious High School Freshman,

There are a lot of things I wish someone had told me, or I had listened to going into my freshman year of high school. I guess like any other 14-year-old about to embark on an exhilarating new adventure, I felt like a hot shot who knew everything. I was fresh out of eighth grade, the summer had been the best one yet, and I had been at the top of the school; my life was going great. Looking back now, it was kind of silly to have felt all of those feelings, I mean I wasn’t even close to the driving age yet. There was still so much more for me to experience. I was still too chicken to give a decent presentation in front of a class. I hadn't even experienced any real life lessons. I went in thinking I knew everything there was to know, and came out not really knowing anything at all. These are my words of advice to you:

It's no surprise that you came out of middle school alive and well. Little do you know that in high school, you are about to find out who your true friends are and how much four years of adolescence teaches you. Just keep your head up and stand tall. You have so much to look forward to in the future. He’s not the only boy that matters in your life and yes, the breakup is painful, but later down the road you'll find you’re better off anyway. Your classes aren’t as hard as you make them out to be, and no one cares how you look as much as you think they do. Your teachers that you complain about are the ones that you are going to remember. They’re also good practice for the professors you might encounter in college, appreciate them. Chemistry will become your enemy and you’ll slack because you despise it and because you thought it was a good idea to take advance placement Biology at the same time. That’s okay because it's good to challenge yourself. Please also make sure to take as many pictures as you can. Even if they’re all selfies of you and your bad eyebrows, you’ll be thankful you have them.

Please don’t be so anxious about the future; slow down to enjoy what high school is going to offer you. Don’t waste all of your time complaining about how badly you want it to be over because before you know it, it is. You have so much more to look forward to, like driving, Friday night lights, prom, and college. Senior year is the quickest one yet and it's the one you want to enjoy the most. Don't forget to take time each day to talk to your mom; she's been on your side this whole time and is also probably cooler than you.

Congratulations, you finally did it! Four years later and you are graduating high school with your best friend by your side and are about to head off to your dream school. Four more years turns to only four weeks left mighty fast. It isn't an easy ride but it is very well worth it. This is just the beginning.

Sincerely,

The High School Graduate