Senior year seems so far away until the day that it is over. Even in the midst of college essays, AP classes and gossip that could only be characterized as “so high school,” I found it hard to believe that senior year was actually happening. For so long it seemed so distant, and by the time it actually came, I was too busy to even acknowledge it. Little by little, senior year crept up on me, and then one day I had on my cap and gown and was gliding across the stage (who am I kidding—I was wearing four-inch heels, so more accurately, I was stumbling) to accept my diploma. Or at least, that is what it felt like; it was as if someone had pushed me into a pool shouting vague directions like “swim freestyle” (“apply to college!”) or “bk!” (“don’t stress out and sleep more!”) without telling me how to swim freestyle, or even that “bk” just means backstroke. (Did I mention I’m not even a good swimmer?) Yet somehow, thrashing, kicking and at times choking, I made it to the other end of the pool—I finished my senior year—and it was all a blur. Despite the fact that senior year (and specifically, the first semester) does live up to its reputation as the hardest year, it is also the most exciting, rewarding and memorable year. With that in mind, aren’t you somewhat anxious to know how to make the most of this crazy time in your life? Here is advice from someone who has been in the pool recently (as opposed to those coaches yelling at you from the edge of the pool who have not actually touched the water themselves in a while).

1. Do not obsess over standardized test score.

We will start off easy. There are so many reasons why you do not want to constantly talk or think about the SAT and the ACT and all the other forms of torture that high school seniors are forced to pay 90 dollars for. You do not want to be that person who judges his or her own worth by a number, and who judges others the same way. But wait—what if you scored really high? Then can you talk about it? Be that as it may, you have little reason to announce your SAT score publicly. It stresses everyone else out and earns you a reputation not only as a bragger, but a bragger-about-a-number-whose-meaning-is-still-being-widely-debated (in other words, the worst type of bragger). In addition, beyond simply not talking about it, I encourage you to not to put too much emphasis on scores personally. Are SAT and ACT scores important? Sure. Are colleges going to look at them? Yeah. But are they going to throw your application out the window if you do not have the best freakin’ scores they have ever seen? Absolutely not. Admissions counselors look at ACT and SAT scores to confirm trends that they see in other parts of your application, not as the end-all factor in an admissions decision. Meeting with SAT and ACT tutors may not be something you can avoid (thankfully, my parents never paid for tutoring, but I know plenty of poor souls who were subjected to that). Study, yes, but put more focus on the aspects of life that you actually enjoy; these will ultimately play a much more important role in your application than a number.

2. Accept leadership roles (duh!).

Being a senior inherently exposes you to leadership roles—take them. You may look around, say, “who—me? I’m not much of a leader,” but I am telling you that as a senior, you are. Leading a club, captaining a team or acting as a mentor may be new to you, but embrace the challenge. Playing a large role in a club or team can be incredibly rewarding, and it may be what you remember best about senior year. And for those who won’t drop this college admission crap no matter what I say, yes, leadership roles do look good on your college application (now go back to studying SAT vocabulary, you sad senior).

3. Broaden your friend circle.

Yes, it is senior year, and you may have been with these same people since what feels like birth (or maybe just since the sixth grade), but never stop making new friends. I cannot stress this enough. We come into senior year comfortably settled in our friend groups, thinking that we have talked to everyone we could possibly want to talk to. Yet, that will never be true; there will always be that one person who found you interesting, or who found you interesting. Don’t be a weenie—say hi, shoot them a text or sit next to them in class. This is how we all made our friends at one point, and just because we are no longer energetic 12 year-olds who can only travel in packs does not mean that we should ditch our friend-making abilities. Who knows—you may end up finding something in common with that girl you never would have imagined was at all similar to you, or you may even end up dating that boy who liked you in the eighth grade but who you barely knew (and if he had feelings for you when you were still brace-faced and sporting unplucked eyebrows, then let me tell you, it is going to be something special).

4. Hang out with your family.

Senior year of high school is when you want to make memories with your friends—definitely do that. I will not even include that as a piece of advice, because I am sure you plan on it anyway. But don’t forget your family. You may think that this is the last year that you will spend with your high school friends, but it will also be the last year that you will spend with your family, at least the way you know it. Never again will you habitually eat dinner at the kitchen table in between sports practice and homework. Never again will you shuttle your siblings around as you do now. Never again will your mom or dad be there at the drop of a hat, eager to come to your rescue no matter how small the emergency. Yes, you will see them all again, but it will never be the same. Take time to hang out with the people you have spent your whole life with—speaking from experience, they are just as cool as your friends (and less likely to land you in a hospital or jail!) These are the people that care about you the most.

5. Breathe, betch.

This might seem obvious, but I can’t tell you the number of times when it seemed like my classmates and I had forgotten the first human function we ever performed—breathing, that is. So before you turn purple, remember that you have to relax. Senior year is stressful, and sometimes, you just have to let loose. Don’t berate yourself incessantly if you forgot a homework assignment; don’t lose sleep over a test that you think went poorly when you don’t even know the results; and last but not least, just eat the damn cookie. In other words, cut yourself some slack every once in a while, or you just might explode in the middle of Calculus—and you don’t want your poor math teacher to have to clean that mess up, do you?

6. Speaking of "do you?", do you.

Yep, I said it using those words, because saying “be yourself” is way too overdone and sounds like something that an adult would say (and to reemphasize, I am a just a young fledgling like you). But I cannot say it enough—do you, kween. Now you may be extremely cynical (high school can do that to you, I know) and say that I just want to see you embarrass yourself publicly, but here is the logic—senior year is the easiest year to just be yourself, because a) people look up to you and think everything you do is cool, b) there are no older kids to mock you, and c) you can just stop caring and say, “to hell with it—I won’t be here in a year, anyway.” If you have been keeping something in your closet for years because you have been too afraid of what people might say if you wear it, just put the damn thing on and own it. If you have been holding back an opinion because you are afraid of what people might think, just say it (respectfully!). And when you do, you will finally realize that high school attitudes and norms are silly and overrated anyway ;)

7. Say thanks.

This is the last year to tell any friends, teachers or other people in your life how much they mean to you or to acknowledge all that they have done for you. Whenever you feel gratitude, don't hesitate to express it. If you still think talking to adults is kind of scary, be reassured by the fact that they will love to hear what you have to say (and then go learn how to speak to adults, because you are basically becoming one).

Have a great year, young grasshoppers. It might just be the best one yet.