Senior year of high school is such an exhilarating time in life – with the closing of one chapter and a new one unfolding before your very eyes, it is all so exciting. It is easy to get caught up in the future and imagining your new life awaiting you in just a few short months. In fact, it is so easy that so many seniors miss out on the present, and do not appreciate what is in front of them. For all those anxious and itching to move across town or across the country for school, take time to soak in the present.

Spend time with the friends in your life right now.

You say you will keep in touch and promise not to forget each other, but let’s face it: life happens. School, activities, work and a social life will all become a little overwhelming at times during your freshman year, and you may not have time to call your best friend every night like you used to. Most likely, your friends will all be heading to different schools and they will no longer be a five-minute drive down the road. Everyone is running on different schedules which is extremely different from high school when everyone was part of the same routine. Cherish these last months when you are all in one place at one time – it may never happen again.

Go to school.

I know, senior year is notorious for skipping school and being rebellious. But, some of my most memorable moments of senior year came from being present at school and interacting with classmates. After graduation, you will never see some of these people again. Take the time to have meaningful conversations with classmates, teachers and to spend time soaking in high school because you will never get it back.

Go to everything that you can.

Go to the football game, buy tickets to the play or participate in school-sponsored events. Make the most out of these remaining months by experiencing new activities and supporting classmates’ passions while doing so. Also, GO TO PROM. Sure, it may be cheesy or it might be in the high school gym. But hey, when will you ever be able to get all dressed up to dance it out with your childhood peers with all of your teachers looking on? Probably never. Enjoy these classic elements of high school. It will help make the most of your time left.

Take pictures.

Instead of spending time looking for potential roommates or dorm room decorations online, be present in the now and capture everything that you can. When you are homesick at school, you will thank yourself for this. Capture pictures of biology lab, track practice and hangouts with friends. As cheesy as it may sound, a picture is truly worth a thousand words.

Seize your opportunities.

Too many people quit activities that they participated in all throughout high school during what would be their senior season. Continuing to participate in the sports and clubs that you love will not only let you to continue something you have a passion for, but also gain leadership experience. Regardless if you are named captain of the soccer team or get the lead in the school musical, seniors are automatic leaders because of experience and age. Be a great leader and seize all of the opportunities to lead that you are given. Come college, it is not as easy to gain such a role: people are of all different ages and class standings so the seniority roles do not exist in the way they do in high school not do they come as easily.

As country singer Trace Adkins once said (or sang), “You're gonna miss this.” While it may seem like college and a new life are everything that you ever dreamed, it truly can wait for a few months. Be present in your senior year and enjoy everything that high school has to offer. The time will fly by and be over in the blink of an eye, practically. And you will be sitting in your new dorm room, wishing you just had one more day with your lifelong friends in the place that you call home. Enjoy your time left in high school and make the most of it. If you are anything like me, they truly will be some of the best times and the best days, so why not make the most of it?