Since most high schools have either just recently had their homecoming or about to have homecoming, a lot of high school seniors are beginning to realize that the “first of their lasts” are starting. Last first day of school, last spirit week, last homecoming dance and game, last fall pep rally, you get the rest.
Senior year will bring out emotions you didn’t even know that you had. If you are anything like me, you swear you don’t have any at all. But first semester is stressful; there are colleges to apply to, scholarship essays to write, SATs to study for, and schoolwork to be done on top of it all. Now, don’t get me wrong, second semester is stressful, just a different type of stressful. It is completely normal to feel overwhelmed and just want to give up and sit in your room watching Netflix not wanting to do anything. But please please please just keep on keepin’ on. Because once that day rolls around when you get accepted to your dream school, all of your work will finally be worth it.
Right now, as I’m writing this, I’m smiling. I’m smiling because I’m writing this as I sit in my dorm room and above my bed, the wall is covered in pictures all throughout senior year. College is an absolute blast, but you’ll get there soon enough. If I could give only one piece of advice to high school seniors it would just be to not rush your last year and take in every moment because you will never get them back. All those times where you are just being stupid and goofy with your best friends, that is what you’re going to remember. You’re not going to remember how much you didn’t want to go to first period one day, or that time you were stressing out for some random quiz in September. Do you know what I remember? I remember beating my rival high school in the last football game of the season, I remember feeling sick to my stomach the days when college decisions were suppose come out, I remember bonfires in friend’s backyards in the fall whenever it dropped below 60 degrees, I remember feeling butterflies in my stomach right before walking into the arena at graduation.
These last couple months of high school are the last time you’re going to be with your group of friends every day. Everything is going to change after you walk across that stage and life is most likely going to get a lot more complicated. So, just love every minute you have left.
Thank your teachers for caring. Thank your best friend for being someone to confide in for anything. Thank your parents for just being your parents and being your rock. Thank your brother for being annoying because you’re actually going to kind of miss it when you live two and half hours away. Thank you friends for being spontaneous and always up for anything to make this last year as memorable as possible.
Take all of senior year in for what it’s worth. The next time you’ll be in this position is four years from now and instead of figuring out where you want to go to college, you’ll be figuring out what you want to do with your life and will probably be a lot more freaked out than you are right now. Because in the grand scheme of things, life is pretty good for you right now and this is the year you're going to remember when you think of high school in a couple years from now.
So don’t wish the year away because it will be over before you know it.
