This is it. You are in your last moments of High School. 4 years ago, you were frantically pacing the halls having no idea where you were or where you were going. Fast forward 4 years, and here you are. Going into 2018 and it is finally your year. Use the remaining time you have in high school wisely because before you know it you will be like me: starting you second semester of college and looking back on all the good times and wasted times you had in high school.
Embrace the time you have left with your friends. Spend your free time with your friends, go to dinner, hang out, do something fun and risky. Before you know it, in a few months it will be time to meet all new people, and make all new friends. It’s hard to leave the people you have been with your entire life so make sure you spend the time together while you still can.
Don’t stress about the college process. Yes, I was one to reload my email a thousand times as soon as I heard a college was releasing their decisions on a certain day to see if I got in or not. I was also one who applied early decision to my top school, only to get a fake acceptance letter saying I was in. Yes, I know what it is like to get your dreams crushed, but trust me it all ends up working out. After you submit your applications, there’s nothing left to do but wait. You cannot control when you will hear from a school, and you certainly cannot control what the letter will say when you do hear. This is definitely going to be the worst/most stressful part of your life thus far, but it’s true, everything happens for a reason. You’re going to be stressed and restless until you press “post” for the world to see your Facebook status: “class of….” but the process takes time, don’t rush it. If they don’t accept you, they don’t deserve you.
Spend time with your family. Take the time out of your day to enjoy the time you have left everyday with your family members. It won’t be long until you have to count down the days to see them because you haven’t in weeks. Your family is the most important part of your life and are the people who have watched you grow up. Enjoy the time you have left being a kid, because once you're off to college, you’re in the real world and on your own.
Appreciate your small classes and teachers. Soon enough, you’re going to be sitting in a lecture hall with 300 other students, hopefully being able to name five. If you want to talk to your professor, you will be talking to them as just another face in a mob of students, so talk to your teachers while you still can. In high school, your teachers are there for you and want the best for you, but in college, it’s all on you whether you pass or not.
Make the most of the special days. You only have one prom, one after prom, one high school graduation, one college shirt day (May 1), and one last day of high school. Take advantage of these days. Take pictures with your friends and your teachers and all the people who have impacted your last 4 years. These are the days you will miss most.
