So, this is it. You made it through almost four years of exams, drama, heartache and Saturday morning SAT Prep. You're at the top of the food chain. The only thing that is separating you from the sweet freedom of college is 180 days, and even though that may sound like a lifetime, it will literally fly by. At this point, you're probably starting to fill out pages on pages of college application letters and you're probably reeling in the excitement about starting the next chapter of you're life. However, as your high school years come to an end, I encourage you to soak up every moment and enjoy every second of it.
As you're thinking about all the firsts that you're excited to experience, your first frat party, your first night in your dorm room, your first time away from home, try to remember all of the lasts. It's the last time in your K-12 education, your last time eating lunch at the same table you and your friends have been sitting at since you were freshmen, the last time you'll collapse into your bed after a six hour school day, the last time you'll kiss your high school sweetheart in front of your locker. That's the thing about high school, everything is so simple, so routine.
After all, what is there really to complain about? You get the best parking spots, priority scheduling, all the envy of the underclassmen. You can run home to your mom when you had a bad day at school or when there's a nasty rumor going around about you. There's always food on the table when you get home (real food, not over-processed dining hall food), your laundry is always clean and left neatly folded on your bed, you have the same friends from kindergarten that you know would be there for you in a heartbeat. And it's all about to end.
So enjoy every last minute of your senior year because everything really does change after this. Even the things that you thought would never change. The strongest friendships and relationships can fall apart, so hold onto them tight while you can. It's the last time you'll have no real responsibilities, the last time you can be irresponsible without any consequences. High school will inevitably end and you'll go on to bigger and better things, but don't rush it. Take it all in, appreciate the last days you have of petty high-schoolness, because you'll never have them again.
