I find it hard to believe that it’s been an entire year since I was a high school senior, terrified of leaving and moving on from a place I had grown so fond of. Each day walking into those halls was a reminder that I had one less than the previous.

Whatever you’re feeling right now, just know that it’s valid. You’re not the only one who may be sad to leave high school, just as you’re probably not the only one ready to get out of there. Graduation is a huge milestone and stirs up a wide variety of emotions.

But regardless of how you’re feeling, take my advice on this: make every last minute count.

You’ll never be in this moment ever again. You’ll never be surrounded by these familiar faces, the ones you’ve grown up alongside of. You will never sit through these classes with these teachers again. You’re going to have to leave behind your comfort and familiarity and trade it for the unknown. So, cherish it while you still have it.

Football games won’t be the same. Odds are, your first semester at college, you won’t know a single player of the field. But you’ll cheer anyways and you’ll love every minute of it.

Classes are going to be different. For starters, you won’t know your professors as well as you may know your high school teachers. It’s tough to adjust to. Losing that sense of closeness is a bit unnerving and can leave you feeling like you’re completely on your own while sitting through those lectures. But you’ll learn about new ideas, cover new content, and study what you really want to study. College is the first time you really get to take classes that teach you about your future career.

You won’t see your best friends at your lockers every morning. You won’t share a lunch table, go for food after school, hang out every Friday… everything will change. Before you graduate, make sure your friends know just how much you love and appreciate them. Don’t let college drag you guys apart. They’re the only people who have watched you grow and share the everlasting memories that came along with it.

For the first time in your life, you’ll be on your own. You’ll get to live with people who will become your best friends. You’ll fend for yourself, buy your own groceries, be your own personal trainer at the gym, take responsibility for your study time, do your own laundry, and truly learn what it means to be independent. (So make sure you stack up on grocery coupons and plenty of detergent because you won’t have the luxury of your parents’ wallets to fall back on.)

So, as you commit to the college of your choice, pick out your graduation outfit, and prepare to walk across that stage and receive your diploma, just take a minute to appreciate right now. You’re going to miss high school, whether you believe it or not.

Look at the people around you. Look at your friends, your teachers, your parents, your family, and let them know how much they’ve done for you over the years. Tell your best friend how lucky you are to have them. Tell your favorite teacher that they changed your life. Thank your parents and your family for holding your hand along the way, and make sure they know that letting go of it won’t be easy.

Then, take a deep breath, and thank the person you are in this very moment. Graduating high school and attending college is something to be proud of. Think of everything you’ve survived over the years–the heartbreaks, the break-ups, the fall-outs, the failed exams, the late night studying, the endless nights at work, the varsity pre-seasons–and look at how they’ve changed you. You are ready for the next chapter in your life.

So be sad, but be excited. The rest of your life begins the moment you step off that graduation stage.