Dear High School Senior,

As you finish these last few months of high school, you are probably anxious and impatient to get out. You are probably thinking everything will be so much better once you walk across that stage. You have plans with your friends to go to the same college, live together, and never fall apart. After graduation, life will hit you. Hard.

It is okay not to have life figured out. If you feel like the only one who has no idea what you want to do in life, don’t stress. Some college students haven’t figured that out yet. The major that you think you are so passionate about may not be the major you graduate with. Just because you THINK that’s what you want to do, doesn’t necessarily mean you truly want to. You may change your major 3-4 times before you stick with one. It happens. I started college as a nursing major, and now I am an education major. If you don’t plan on going to college, don’t let anyone tell you that you are wasting time. College is not for everyone. If you want to step out of high school and go straight to work, go ahead.

Stop stressing over the teachers who seem to be giving you a hard time for no reason. They know what they are doing. A lot of times, if you pay attention during that boring science lesson, you will gain valuable life lessons. In college, most of your professors don’t care about whether or not you pass or fail. However, some professors are the complete opposite. I’ve had teachers who were laid back and joked around, but I have also had them where you knew as soon as you walked in, you never said a word. Graduating high school as valedictorian is awesome. In high school. Walking around a college campus, you do not hear people say, “I graduated 3rd in my high school class.” Although getting good grades is important, getting a 3.7 GPA is just as rewarding as getting a 4.222 GPA. Both of these will get you into college.

Forgive your friends who you are arguing with for something so minor. Enjoy the friendships you have now. As you walk down the hall, look around. The majority of the “friends” you have now will not be your friend years from now. It’s not that the person is a bad friend, life happens once you get out of high school. People go their separate ways and you make more friends in college, life-long friends. You connect with people who are in the same major as you and you help each other through those late night study sessions. Hug your friends tight. Same thing goes for relationships. Not many married couples can say they met in high school. Granted, there are some, but not many. After high school, you will both go your separate ways and will probably grow apart. It’s life.

In high school, when unexpected things happen, it may seem like the end of the world. It isn’t. Things you are stressing about now will not matter in a few months. Someone recently told me, “if it won’t matter in 5 years, do not spend more than 5 minutes worrying about it.” I wish someone would have told me that a few years ago. Soon, you will realize that in college, no one cares about those little things. No one cares what shoes you are wearing or what you made on your test. Chances are, the person you are sitting next to in college doesn’t even know your name. Everyone is stuck up each other’s butt in high school. One person is always worried about the next. “Did you hear what __ did this weekend?” STOP IT. Who cares if someone spent all weekend in the club or if they spent the whole weekend at their boyfriend's? None of it matters. Drop it.

If you are currently stressing over little things, remember, college is a new start. You are awarded a blank canvas and you can paint it however you want. The majority of the time, this “canvas” washes off each semester and you are allowed a new one. Join clubs you never thought you would join. Being a part of that culturally diverse group or community engagement group may teach you a few things. If you are ever able to attend a student leadership retreat, take it. Appreciate each new “blank canvas” until it is time to once again walk across a stage and receive a diploma.

So, as the last few months pass by, remember to cherish every moment. It is true when people tell you that it is a whole different world after high school. Sometimes that world is brighter, and sometimes it is darker. I cannot tell you that you will miss high school, because, after almost four years, I still don’t. I can tell you that you will never have an experience quite like high school. Stop rushing graduation; it will come. And when it does, a whole new reality will set in.