It's been about a year since I graduated from my boarding school and about a year since I've thought about what a tough time this is for seniors. It's exciting and scary and really emotional, so are some thoughts from a freshman in college watching graduation approach:

1. Congratulations! You've made it this far!

I know these past four years have been really hard. There's probably a rule written somewhere that you consider death over that final APUSH project at least once in your boarding school career. You've lost friends who have left or been asked to leave. You've wondered how in God's name you weren't one of them. But here you are... standing strong and ready to finish.

2. I know your senior spring must be going so slow.

I mean it's only April? When will the torture end?? Believe me, it goes faster than you think. Before you know it, you'll be sitting around the campfire during your senior trip crying because someone started singing an emotional song. Cherish every second.

3. Girls: find your dresses!

Prom, Baccalaureate, graduation... they're all coming up very very soon! You don't want to be running around the dorm asking everybody and anybody if they have an extra white dress an hour before you get your diploma.

4. Start reminiscing now.

I cannot stress this enough. If you start reminiscing by yourself after everything is said and done, you'll be incredibly sad. Take your time. Remember moving in (to a room or a locker depending on day-student status) when you were like 14 years old? Your parents drove away to leave you to the orientation weekend and you're pretty sure that gave you trust issues? You had no idea how you were going to make it through the next four years and you thought they would be the longest four years of your life, but here you are. You're done. Well, almost. Do homework in the room in the library with the best view of campus. Take walks around with your friends when you have free time. Go sit on the quad at night and just look. Take it all in because a year from now, you'll have trouble remembering just how beautiful the chapel really is.

5. Do things with your friends while you can.

If your friends ask you to do things: DO THEM. You won't see your best friend for a long time after you leave with your parent's trunk piled high with your things. For me it was five months and nine months before seeing mine again. It isn't like you can just go home and see everybody because home for everybody is all over the world. Every second you get to spend with the people you've built such strong relationships with over the last four years is significant. Don't waste them.

6. It's okay to be sad.

Crying isn't bad. You're leaving everything-- your roommate, your friends, your home. Let it out.

7. But don't cry too much.

You don't want to miss some of the best days because you can't see past the tears.

8. Tell your favorite faculty member how much they've influenced you.

They don't know how much they mean to you until you do. They've been your second parents, your mentors, your advisers, your counselors, your friends. It won't hurt to just throw them a quick thanks.

9. Take LOTS of pictures.

It's so much fun to try to explain to people in college that you weren't sent off because your parents hate you and you actually had a lot of fun! It's even more fun when you have something to prove it. It's also nice to be having a hard night and on your dorm room wall are pictures of the people who got you through even harder times.

10. Don't be scared.

When I left, I was really, really scared. I didn't know what I was going to do without the faculty members that guided me for so long or the friends that held my hand every step of those horrendous, wonderful four years. Guess what... they're still there for you! You can call whoever you want pretty much whenever you need to and they still care! If you're scared about not doing well in college-- honestly, yeah sometimes you'll get lower grades than you did at boarding school, but so does everyone else. When you get to college, you'll find people who will call you and say they're parked outside your dorm and they're taking you on an adventure. You'll have friends that'll walk with you to the grocery store to buy flowers for your room. You'll build a new system of people that mean just as much to you as everyone at your boarding school. But don't worry. You'll still write your high school best friend every few weeks and have a Snapchat streak with more than enough people from home. And when you get to see them again, it seems like you never left. Everything will be okay.

Overall, your boarding school will always be home. Don't forget that or leave it behind. Congratulations to all the seniors that are ready to come out into the semi-real world (we're not quite to the real world yet).