Dear Second-Semester Senior,

Well there you stand in the home stretch of your high school career, and if you are anything like I was, you could not be more excited to be finished with high school. You talk about how "you cannot wait to leave *insert name of town here.*" And as a person who has just in the past year been in your shoes, I could not understand any better. But let me tell you, you are going to miss it.

There will come a day when you wake up in a dorm room to look over and see a person you just recently met, and wonder how time went by so fast. Your whole world becomes turn upside down in the blink of an eye. You go from being familiar with everything and everyone to not knowing a soul. Now don't get me wrong college is great in some aspects but it is also very different from what you know now.

I'm not trying to scare you into thinking that you won't like college or that you won't succeed in college. All I'm trying to tell you is that you will miss this part of your life. So take the time now to hang out with your best friends because sooner or later they won't be five minutes down the road. Allow yourself to have fun but also work hard while still in high school. Study for your AP exams because it will pay off if you get that credit, I promise. Enjoy eating at your favorite restaurants, and always appreciate a good home cooked meal. Take lots of pictures, and cheer extra loud for the home team. Thank the teachers that took time to educate you. Thank your coaches for never giving up on you and more importantly thank your parents for always being there.

As you embark on this journey in your life, never forget where you came from but embrace every second of what is to come.

With love,

A second-semester college freshman.