Just like that, it’s all over. Your last football game; your last dance; your last time walking down the hallways you became so familiar with over the last four years. You’ll count down the days till prom, then your last day of classes, then graduation. But please, don’t wish the days away. I know you’re feeling excited but also a little nervous about what the next step in your future holds, but it will be here before you know it. Soon enough you’ll be packing up your life and moving into your dorm, away from your friends, family, and life as you know it. You’ll go from having everything in its place to living out of a closet hardly big enough for a third of the t-shirts you’ve accumulated over the years. It’s weird, and for some people it will be a major culture shock, so please don’t wish your senior year away.

Enjoy it while you can. Soon those Friday night football games and basketball games won’t be there. Sure, they still have them in college, but there’s not themes that you’ll dress up for, no Friday night lights, no section just for students. While they are still fun, there will always be a piece of you longing for one more chance to partake in game theme.

Don’t wait until the last minute to apply. One of the biggest mistakes you can do is wait until the last minute to apply to the colleges you want to go to. If you’re anything like me, you’ll wait until the end of December to start applying while everyone else around you are getting their acceptance letters and planning who they’re going to room with. Apply as soon as you possibly can, tour the campus as many times as you can, and apply for all the scholarships that available to you. Trust me, you’ll need it.

Thank the people who have helped you along the way. Believe it or not, that high school English teacher who failed you on that paper you wrote the class before it was due did you a favor. The math teacher who helped tutor you for days when you didn’t know how to do a problem, saved you from having to go to summer school. The coach that pushed you to try harder even when you felt like you were going to pass out, helped you form a sense of motivation that will carry you through the rest of your life. Your parents, for everything they sacrificed to help you get to this point.

Don’t be scared to reach out to people, but also don’t be scared to never look back. People change after high school; some for the better and some for the worst. While I encourage you to hold on to those friendships you created throughout the last four years, I also encourage you to reach out to new people and let yourself move on from high school. I’ve witnessed many people who try to hold on to the glory days and they let themselves miss out on the good times happening in the now.

Lastly, don’t let yourself forget where you came from. Call home often. Call your parents to let them know you miss them, because you will. Call your grandparents to let them know you’re thinking about them, because I assure you, you’re always on their mind. Text that friend you haven’t talked to since sophomore year just to say hi because sometimes that’s all it takes to make someone’s day.

Every incoming freshman is going to be in the situation as you next fall; in a new environment, with new faces and new classes, and worried about what the next step in their life has in store for them. While I know you’re excited to be done with high school and finally be on your own, that time will be here in a fast ten months. For now, enjoy the time you have left, create memories that will last a lifetime, and stop wishing your senior year away. There will come a time when you’ll wish for it all to come back.