It’s almost May, and that means it’s almost graduation time for high school students. Not only is it exciting, but also nerve-racking. Here’s my advice to high school graduates.

I know you’re excited. I know you’ve been wanting to get out of that school ever since you got into it. I was the same way. But, I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you went to every home football game, enjoyed prom, and spent every moment you could with your parents. Because you have a lot coming for you in the future. The summer after you graduate will be the best one yet. You’ll be busy the entire time, whether it’s because you’re heading off to college in the fall, or working to support your future place you’re getting with a couple friends. The main thing I want high school graduates to understand is how much your family means to you.

Over the past couple of years of high school, family was just another thing that came around in your life. They weren’t your main priority, your friends were. Schoolwork always came before family time, and you usually got out of hanging out with your family for your friends on weekends. But dear high school graduates, please don’t take that time for granted. You have about four months until you’re out of the house, so do everything in your power to spend quality time with the ones you support you the most.

Another thing I want to make clear is how much college will stress you out. Yes, college will be the time in your life where you’ll meet the people you’ll know forever. It’s also the place where every single choice you make affects YOU, and your future. High school was just the beginning. But, just like during high school, you want to be involved in your school. Having school pride is the best thing you can have while in college. It’ll make having four exams in one week not that terrible (it still is, trust me, but you can always sarcastically say “go pokes!”). Go to football games, go to random events thrown by your dorm, study in the weirdest places, and get to know people in your classes. School nights don’t exist in college, there’s too much to do in just four years. Go to Insomnia Cookies at 2 a.m., then get up for your 8 a.m. the next day. College is an experience. So dear high school graduates, go to a university where you’ll get the experience of a stressed-out young adult, and a young adult whose life is still needing to be lived.

All in all, dear future graduates, make time for your family in these next four months, save up the most money you can (for all those future Whata runs), and enjoy these last couple of weeks of high school, because you’ll never have to go back again.