Dear Second Semester High School Senior,

Four short months ago, you were astonished that you were about to embark upon your senior year. Freshman year felt like it was just yesterday, when high school seemed larger than life, and everyone tried to make as many new friends as possible in an attempt to find their clique. Since then, you’ve experience a handful of bittersweet “lasts,” like attending your last first day of school, cheering on your football team, and stressing out over homecoming. Now as you return from winter break, you are truly on the home stretch. The only thing standing between you and graduation is four months of busy work, a few college deadlines, and a handful of school lunches. But before you get ahead of yourself, don’t forget to cherish what you have yet to look forward to, because as fast as the last three and a half years went, this final semester will go by ten times quicker.

My intentions behind this article are not to make me seem like a wise, aged college kid, or to make you feel naive. I’m guilty of wishing time away and not acknowledging the memories I’m making just as many people do. I intend to help you look forward to your last days in high school with optimism and adventure, and look back on your past years with gratitude. It is so easy to fill your time either looking way into your future of college and careers and families, or reminiscing on the memories you’ve already made instead of living in the present as well. Find a way to balance all three and the time that you have left won’t be wasted.

Cherish your friends while they’re still accessible. It is very possible that you’ll stay in touch with some of your friends well after you leave for college, but it’s just as likely that you’ll grow apart. Either way, they may only be a phone call away, but talking on the phone is so much different than being able to embrace them at a moment’s notice. Being reunited after months of separation is one of the best feelings in the world, but that won’t make you miss them any less when you all go your separate ways once again.

Stop caring about what your peers think about you or your choices. This is so much easier said than done, but you’ll realize just how irrelevant their opinions are eventually, so you might as well figure it out now and make decisions with your happiness in mind.

Enjoy having a routine and a schedule while it lasts. You may not acknowledge or appreciate this aspect of your life, but you’ll really notice when it isn’t there anymore. Your weeks may seem repetitive and boring now, but at least each day includes consistent, healthy times for sleeping and eating.

Lastly, stay involved. Three and a half years of putting yourself out there and staying active can become exhausting, but don’t quit just yet. Participating in all the activities you’re currently in is a lot more difficult to do in college, so take advantage of the opportunity to do so now. You might even make some last minute friends, and you’ll continue to make memories that will last a lifetime. And through it all, don’t forget to take lots of pictures to look back on (my number one regret was not taking enough).

You’re probably thinking that graduation is still so far away and you don’t know how you can possibly survive four more months of high school pettiness, but don’t wish it away faster than you can enjoy what’s left of it. There’s still sports, prom, parties, and so much more to look forward to. In the mean time, thank your favorite teachers for their dedication. Make a few more after school Sonic runs with your best friends. Go to a few basketball games and jump around in the front of the student section, even if you think it’s the most boring thing in the world. Be kind to everyone, because I’d much rather be remembered as the genuine classmate than the cruel one. As done as you might be with high school, you’ll be out of there sooner than you might believe, so don’t blink.

Love,

A Second Semester College Freshman