Dear Seniors,
A year ago I was in your shoes, I want to say that I miss it, but I honestly don't. When I reminisce about "the good ole days" I don't think about high school, to be honest I don't even think of anything because I feel like I'm living the good days now.
Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for my high school years, they brought me to where I am now. Nonetheless, I still don't miss it. I of course wish I could go back to prom, homecoming, move up day and my senior games, but as for high school itself, I can't say that I miss it.
Even though I'm saying that I don't miss it, I'm not saying that you should expect to feel the same way I do. In fact, I encourage you to live it up to the fullest, take advantage of the fact that you still have these things to look forward to.
Right now you're probably applying and getting accepted to colleges, and I hope you're making visits too. Visits are so worth it and they really tell you a lot about the schools, but make your choices wisely. The four years (or more for some of you) after high school will definitely be ones to remember. In some cases, they could be the best years of your life, so make sure you're somewhere you want to make some really good memories.
When you're feeling insecure, don't neglect the fact that there's no popularity contest after high school. Just because someone's popular in high school doesn't mean they'll be popular once they leave. It's actually not likely at all, so don't worry. If you feel like you may be at the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to your social life, don't worry. You'll eventually find where you belong and it will be an amazing experience.
As for your friends, if you're lucky and all of them are true, you will stay in touch and continue to be friends. It's okay that you're not talking everyday as long as when you do talk it's not draining or dreadful. There will be some friends that you thought would be with you for life but they wind up not making it with you past graduation, and that's fine. As cliche as it is, some people are lessons, not long term. Even if you don't learn any lessons immediately, you'll eventually find yourself realizing why you guys didn't make, and it's refreshing, relieving. Trust me, if you lose some friends you're not doing anything wrong. You're going to make a bunch more anyway.
Leaving high school teaches you a lot. You grow in ways you didn't even know you were ready for. You mature, your mind becomes open, you can see from other perspectives, there's a lot that's coming for you, all good of course. There will be some people that won't grow up, but that's fine, let them be, some people just aren't ready to move on with their lives so soon. It will be hard to maintain relationships with those people, don't be afraid to let them go if you feel as if they're dragging you down, or not letting you move forward with your life. Maybe those people are supposed to be your lessons.
Take advantage of everything you have going on right now, but don't stress if you feel like you're not having a good time, or that others are having more fun than you. Don't stress if you feel like high school was nothing how people described it, that it wasn't fun, maybe even a waste of time. You still have so much more life to live, so many youthful, fun years left.
Make the best out of everything.
Sincerely,
A high school graduate
