Dear rising seniors,

Right now you are not too far from beginning the final chapter of your high school career. You’ve been waiting for this for as long as you can remember and now it’s finally almost here. I know you’ve heard it thousands of times by now, but it will go by faster than you ever imagined. While you’re probably eager to graduate and put high school behind you, don’t forget to slow down and enjoy it for all that it’s worth. These are the final 180 days that you will spend with most of the people that you’ve grown up with, so be sure to make each day count.

Wake up extra early on the first day so that you have time to meet your friends for breakfast and take plenty of pictures. And of course, you have to get to school early enough to claim a prime parking spot. Whatever you do, it’s your last first day, so make it one to remember.

Friday nights in the fall were made for high school football, so go to every single game. Get together with your friends and make tacky shirts with way too much glitter that you know you’ll never wear again. Stay until the very end of each game regardless of the score. When you find yourself standing in the pouring rain, just smile and enjoy the moment. And finally, top off every Friday night with a trip to Waffle House.

Make sure to enjoy the little things like sitting around bonfires with people you barely know or just taking long drives and having conversations with your best friends. Have plenty of campouts, movie nights and early morning breakfasts, because soon it’ll all be over and you won’t have those opportunities anymore. Those will be the memories you will look back and miss the most.

The theme of your senior prom really doesn’t matter, and neither does the restaurant you eat at beforehand. Don’t take everything too seriously, just enjoy dressing up with your friends and taking way too many pictures. If there’s a chance for rain, it would be in your best interest to have an umbrella. Stay on the dancefloor until the last song is played and have the time of your life. Most importantly, don’t get through prom night without dancing to Fergalicious.

When you get your yearbook, make everyone sign it. Even the people you don’t know that well. It’s not like you’ll get another opportunity for it next year, and you will want to remember everyone when you look back on it in several years.

Although you think it will never come, one day you’re going to wake up and it’s suddenly graduation day. Enjoy every second of it. Jam out to all of the High School Musical classics. Take pictures with every last one of your friends, even the ones you aren’t close to anymore, and make sure you let all of your teachers know how much you appreciate them. If you’re still holding grudges, it’s time to let them go. It’s the ending of a long and crazy journey, so make sure everyone gets a proper goodbye.

Enjoy every day of your senior year. Don’t spend too much time stressing over your ACT score because it won’t matter in the long run. Spend your time with your favorite people, because your time is slowly beginning to run out. Make sure you take plenty of pictures and share plenty of laughs. It’s finally your year, so make it one you’ll remember forever.