Dear Middle School Me,

It's your college self here. Yes, I have successfully survived one year at a university. It may seem like college is far in the future, but it will be here before you know it. Soon you will be thinking, "Has it really been 5 years since I was in middle school? It feels like just yesterday!". I have been thinking lately that it's about time I shared some of the wisdom I've gained over the years with you. I hope that this helps you as well as every middle schooler out there to avoid a lot of the drama and pain you may otherwise go through in this part of your life.

Let me begin by saying that you are changing A LOT in these 3 years. There are significant physical changes, but I'm not talking about those; I'm talking about the mental and emotional maturity you will gain through your experiences. Chances are, your group of friends will change around quite a bit, and your personality and interests will as well. This is not the end of the world; I can assure you of that. In fact, it's an incredibly important part of growing up and figuring out what kind of a person you want to be, and as cheesy as that sounds, it's true.

However, there is a very high probability (probably around 95%) that even in a few years when you're in high school, you will look back on the things you said and did in middle school and cringe. A lot. You will do and say some mean things to important people in your lives, possibly to fit in with the cool kids at school. Trust me when I say this: it's not worth it. I know that being friends with the new girl in your study hall seems like the perfect way to become the cool, glamorous person you want to be. I'm sure you've heard this plenty of times before, but take it from yourself: being popular in middle school (and even high school) is not important. It may seem like the most important thing in your world right now, but it's really not. Just focus your attention on school, the friends who really care about you, your family, and God, and you'll be headed in the right direction.

Listen to your parents. You may think you know everything now that you're the mature age of 12, but you really, really don't. Think of it this way: your age is the one that many teens and young adults use as an arbitrary age to refer to anyone younger than them. "What are you, twelve?" There's a reason that age is used; it's because you think you know everything, when in actuality, you're quite unaware of the world around you. That's not your fault, though; the maturity and life experience will come with time. For now, listen to and respect your parents. They really do know what's best for you, even though it may not seem like it all the time.

Now that all of that serious advice is out of the way, let's briefly discuss some of the things you're interested in that really aren't that cool. Silly Bandz, for example. They're literally colored, shaped rubber bands. You don't need to have 15 of them on your wrists at all times. Besides, you spend too much time taking them off and admiring the shapes when you should be paying attention in class. Also, stop making the peace sign in every photo you take. There are so many other poses you could do, so why do you always choose that one? I could go on, but I'll just mention one more thing: please think long and hard about the usernames you pick for websites and your email account. You don't want to be 15 years old, using the same cringeworthy email address for school.

But seriously, enjoy being a kid. Spend time with the right people, and don't waste your energy on people who don't treat you right. Listen to your parents, be loyal to your friends, and know that there will soon be a time where the pink Razr flip phone you long for isn't the coolest cell phone on the market. Just be patient.

Sincerely,

Your College Self