Senior year is probably one of the most stressful years that you will encounter during your school period. With that being said though, there are so many things to look forward to during it that it’s hard to not get excited. Yeah, you’re probably going to get homework the first day and applying to college is essentially right around the corner, but seeing your friends everyday and being able to be with your class one last time is such a good feeling. Senior year is full of it’s ups and downs, there will be times where you literally want to drop out and times where you don’t ever want the year to end. Just know that it’s normal to feel like that, it’s normal to be overwhelmed. But, before you start your last year in high school here are 10 things to remember.

1. High school, and senior year, do not last forever.

I remember walking into my first day of senior year like it was yesterday. It’s so surreal how quickly the school year goes by when you're distracted by homework, friends, the holidays, college, and the never ending thoughts about graduating. So just a heads up, this year is going to go by extremely quick, do what you want with it. Also, this thought will come in handy when you’re dreading going to school and living the same, boring routine you have been for the last couple months.

2. Do your homework.

This tip should be self explanatory by let me just reemphasize, do your homework. Just do it. It’s not going to take up all of your time, unless you’re in an AP class, and in that case I shouldn’t have to tell you this. But, honestly homework is such an easy way to keep your grades up and looking good for college. Plus, the homework you do does end up helping you out when you take tests or quizzes on that topic, so just make it easy for yourself.

3. Who you are at the beginning of the year will not be who you are when you graduate.

With senior year, there are so many different experiences you are going to go through that you honestly will not graduate the same person. During senior year you’ll have to make some tough decisions like what to do after you graduate, which college you might want to attend, what you want to major in, and honestly just what you’re going to do with the next few years of your life. All these decisions will shape you, mold you into a different and more experienced person. There will also be instances where different situations you are put into will change you. Whether these situations are fighting with friends, breaking up with your boyfriend/girlfriend, or even starting to date someone new. So many things happen throughout the year and just remember that you will change and you will grow.

4. Cherish the little things.

If there is one thing I wish I did more in high school it would be that I cherished the little things that happened. I’m talking about lunches with my friends where we would seriously talk about politics and what was going on in the world, or the comfort of knowing which classroom you’re going to even on the first day of school. There are so many wonderfully small things that I will miss about high school and I just hope you will can cherish them and remember you won’t get them forever so that you’ll appreciate it even more.

5. Go to football games/homecoming/school events with your friends.

Going to school events with your friends is one of the easiest ways to not be bored. I remember all my friends and I complaining all the time that we were bored, or that there was nothing to do, and now that it’s actually summer we literally don’t have much to do. I took for granted how easy it was to do something when these things were held out in front of me on a daily basis. So, please go have fun.

6. Applying to college can be scary, so get help from teachers, older friends, and counselors.

This tip is something so many people need to hear and understand. Applying to college is a really messy and just confusing process. There are so many papers to submit, so many deadlines to adhere to, and so many things you just HAVE to remember no matter what. It can get really frustrating if you’re trying to do it on your own, or even parents who don’t know/remember how to do. Use your resources though and take advantage of the people around you who know their stuff about college. It’s so easy to forget that our guidance counselors are there to help us with more than scheduling and friend issues, but honestly they know their way around applying to college. Also, asking older friends for advice can be extremely helpful because they have recently been through this. Just make sure that you’re understanding everything as you’re going through this process.

7. Live in the moment and get off your phone.

Please please please get off your phone during class. Get off your phone when you're with your friends. Get off your phone when you have better and more important things to do. I promise you that Twitter will still have all the tweets their and Instagram will have all the pictures also. So just please, so be social and spend time with the people around you.

8. With that being said, take tons of pictures to document the memories.

Okay here is the exception to not using your phone because some of us can’t all have crazy nice cameras. Really though, take pictures of everything you can think of. At the end of the year you’re going to have this epic collage of points in time that you can now look back on so easily. Also, you can then take these pictures to college and decorate your dorm room with them because dorm room walls are very ugly and need pretty people to cover them up.

9. Relish in your snow days you’ll get during the winter.

After high school snow days will never be the same. Also, as a senior you have that awesome luxury of not having to make snow days up, so enjoy that too. With the snow days though, during senior year you don’t need to worry about going until July and you’ll be able to rest peacefully in your bed and probably cuddle with your dog all day. Even in college when classes get canceled we can’t all cuddle with our pups because unfortunately they’re back home and you have a huge paper due in a week that you could be working on now instead of relaxing. So please, love your snow days.

10. Get over how upset you are to wake up early and just enjoy your last year.

In all honesty, yeah we all know waking up early sucks and the classes your in can suck, but you just need to focus on the good things about this last year. You can love or hate high school and still appreciate certain things about it. We all can find common ground when we’re with our classmates, we can all relate to this crazy thing we’re going through called graduating, and we can easily relate to the inevitable stress of our futures. Just enjoy this last year because after this, it’ll never be the same.

I hope everyone’s senior years are bright and sunny, filled with amazing amounts of caffeine to keep you going, and wrapped tightly in the love of your friends around you. This year is definitely one for the books, why do you think so many people write about it? Go into this year with a different outlook and maybe, just maybe, enjoy it. Whenever shit hits the fan for you this year, just remember these small pieces of advice that I have given to you and weave your web as you please!