Imagine it's the last day of your junior year. You're probably sweating, probably in shorts, and probably can't wait to leave. You're more than excited for summer, and with that being said, you've probably made up half of the summer plans that won't happen.
Something that I think only young adults in high school can tell you is that you know that senior year is a big year, but no one really wants to worry about it. So having summer right before your senior year kind of blurs it even more. It's your last summer before entering the fascinating world of college. For some of us, it's just a quick trip to the community college around the corner, but for others, it's a trip halfway across the United States.
But just remember, you're not there yet.
It's only the beginning of summer, and you don't want to think about college. Not yet.
You're going to spend your summer having fun with friends, which is always entertaining. You'll also spend a lot of the summer alone in your room, which is definitely okay too.
You and your friends will be making plans in your group chat, watching movies, and maybe even going on some crazy midnight adventures. Like the song by the Chainsmokers says, you feel like you'll never get older. You feel like you're going to be young and crazy forever.
The whole college thing doesn't become a reality until all your other friends leave for college while you're still stuck in high school for another year. It's going to be extremely hard to say goodbye to everyone, but you'll see each other through social media, and when they visit home.
But then you realize, in just a quick year, it'll be you saying goodbye and leaving home. This is when you also realize that you won't be young forever, and the real world is coming at you pretty fast.
Before you know it, it's your senior year. You're in the middle of your last first day when you realize it's go time.
Time to get serious and start applying to colleges. Which is exactly what you do. You start to look around you and realize this is the last time you'll be seeing your classmates again. The last time you guys will be filled with school pride at football games. The last time you get to see these people as kids, and not adults. Your graduation day is only 9 months away.
This is when you HAVE to realize that your future is in your hands. You can't wait around and hope that someone will stay back and help you out. Life is about to go by you fast, so take the initiative and get everything done.
Apply to colleges, and make the best of the few months you have left in the safety net college students call high school. Moving forward is inevitable, and may scare you a lot, but you get one chance to do this, so you might as well prepare yourself.
So if you're an underclassman, please get ready, and do well in school. Do some community service, and don't think too hard about college. You still have many years ahead of you, so don't stress.
If you're a junior, time to strap down and prepare yourself for what's coming next. Please, take this year seriously, and listen to the advice that teachers have for you. They only want to help you and see you do well.
And, if you're lucky enough to be a senior this year (Go class of 2017!!), please make good decisions. This isn't a year to slack off and be fearful. This is your year to shine, and your year to prove to everyone, and yourself, that you can do this.
Also, don't be too cool t do all the fun senior things that will be going on. Definitely go to your senior field day, and don't you dare skip out on your prom. Go to your school dances, and go to all the cheesy movie nights at your school. Look at all of the people around you and realize this will be some of the last times doing so.
Get ready for the best year of high school (because let's be real, the past few years weren't all cupcakes and ice cream for everyone.) Never lose sight of your goals, and be confident.
You can do this. You will graduate. You will go to college. And you're going to make it into the next chapter of this absolutely exciting adventure we get to call life.
