Dear High School Senior,
It’s March. Spring break is just around the corner. The hardest part of senior year (college applications) is behind you. The weather’s getting warmer, and you can see the light at the end of the tunnel: graduation. You’re having the time of your life right now, and I don’t blame you for thinking that you're invincible. You feel on top of the world -- you’re getting accepted into colleges and all the fun end-of-the-year senior moments are still to come. But I have some advice for you:
Do not take anything for granted right now, because pretty soon it’ll be over.
I know what you’re thinking: that I’m a complete downer whose just here to kill your mood. But I’m trying to help you, I promise. Just a year ago I was in your shoes, and I could not wait to begin the next stage of my life at college. Looking back, my high school years were fantastic, and I realize now that I should have appreciated them more when I was there. I took so many daily things for granted: the ride to school in the morning, lunch with friends, dance rehearsal, classes, etc. I was so used to my daily routine, so ready to take on a new one, that I didn't even realize I wasn't truly present until I was gone.
I have great memories from the the last leg of senior year that I will cherish all my life, and I’m sure you will too. But I wish that during that time I would have left college alone and stopped thinking about it. I know it’s really exciting -- especially since you’ve probably never lived on your own before. College can be seen as a rite of passage, a privilege that not everyone in the world gets, so we should be thankful for the opportunity to go. But for the next four months, focus on friends, the last of your high school schoolwork, prom, senior trips and moments that are once in a lifetime.
One of my teachers told us to be really present for the last few weeks of high school when June came around, but I’m telling you that appreciating this time in your life should start before June. Make memories in your boring math class or the cafeteria. Find something to laugh about with your friends every time you get together. Don’t stress about the future when you think it’s uncertain, and then try to rush the present when all you want is what’s ahead. I did that, and it’s one of my deepest regrets. Enjoy all of high school, even when you think you don't need to anymore.
In the next few months, you might have to part ways with some fantastic friends, which can be really hard. So spend as much time as you can with them. Spend as much time as you can with your family -- even though they may drive you crazy. Work really hard, dance a lot at prom, make Friday-night memories and embrace the fact that high school is a care-free world.
And then, when you graduate, don't take your final high school summer for granted. Stay out with your friends, get a job, go to the beach and have the most fun you can with the people you love. So that way when you get to college, and you meet new people and make memories with them, you can look back at the last part of senior year and say that you were really there and that you loved every minute of it.
Sincerely,
A Girl Who Didn't Take Her Own Advice
