This article is for those who are finishing out their senior year of high school.

I know how exhausting high school can be. You get tired of waking up at the crack of dawn, sitting in the same classrooms for seven hours a day, having to complete useless work, and having to listen to teachers who lost your interest after the second week of school. You get tired of eating in the same cafeteria, seeing the same people every day, and even tired of living at home. But I promise you- you will miss the little things once they are gone. I know this because I went through this.

During my senior year, the only thing getting me through boring high school days was the fact that at the end of the year, I got to go off to college and start a new beginning. I could not wait to move to a new city, meet new people, and actually take part in classes I enjoy. Only thing I did not realize is how much I would actually miss high school and my hometown.

As the end of senior year approached, I went from being excited about to college to growing bittersweet about the things I was about to leave behind. I realized I would never step foot into my high school as an official student again. The last day of high school it became clear I would never sit in a classroom with my peers again. And most importantly, I would soon have to move away from my friends and family to only see them during breaks and holidays.

Now I realize some seniors may read this article and think I am crazy to even slightly think you all will miss your high school life, but just wait.

One of the hardest parts about going away to college is the last week you spend at home before you move away. You shift from seeing your friends and hanging out, to realizing this could be the last time you actually see your friends for a while. When you are finishing hanging out with your friends, the conversation goes from “goodbye see you tomorrow” to “goodbye I will see you soon.” You go from seeing your friends every day at school and after school in person, to having contact through Facetime, phone calls, or text messages.

I promise you, you will miss your friends more than anything and you may even miss seeing people you never thought you would miss. Saying goodbye to friends is one of the most bittersweet moments a new college student has to go through.

Of course, friends are important, but let’s not forget those who raised you to be the person you are today and have given you the opportunity to attend college- your parents. One of the hardest parts about moving away was saying goodbye to my family.

My life went from coming home and eating dinner, to eating my last home-cooked meal at my own home. I saw my family every single day and now I only see them when I come home. Your family may drive you crazy, but you will miss them once you move into a college dorm and realize just how irritating complete silence is without your house chaos.

Seniors, as you finish up your last few months of high school, I want you to take a step back and soak in your surroundings because they will not be there long.

You need to eat at all your favorite restaurants before they are no longer down the street from you. You need to hang-out with your friends and family because soon they will not be in your life every single day. You need to realize that as much as you hate your hometown, it will always be your home and where you came from. Most importantly, you need to appreciate your last few months of high school, because after graduation you will realize the little things you miss about it.