Today I am about to walk across the stage and graduate high school. It's been a crazy four years. You’re going to love it, but it’s definitely not going to be easy. Don't wish it away. It’s going to fly by and it will be over before you can even blink. Here are a few things you might need to know.

1. The people you are friends with now probably won't be your friends senior year.

Some people get lucky, but the majority of people don't keep the same friends all four years of high school. It's hard to stay close when you don't have any classes together. You make friends with the people that are in your class, but when the class ends, the friendship probably does too. You may think nothing can sever your friendship with your best friend, but I guarantee something will.

2. People change.

The person you've known since kindergarten might suddenly become a completely different person the second they walk through the doors. They’ll turn into the person they said they’d never be, and unfortunately, you’ll be the one left in the dirt when they go off to all the popular kids.

3. Being popular is not the most important thing.

Freshman year, being popular probably seems like the most important thing in the world. You want that upperclassman boy to like you, that senior girl to think you're cool. Don't try too hard to be popular. Being popular is not as great as it seems, and it won't matter as soon as you walk across that stage senior year.

4. Don’t take that extra AP class just because.

Overwhelming yourself with work is not worth it at all. Don't try to outdo everyone else and be the best if it's going to break you down. Unless you're trying to go to an Ivy League, that one extra AP class isn't worth it. In 4 years when you’re in college, no one will care what your high school GPA or class rank was. But don't forget that grades ARE important. Don't slack off just because you're lazy.

5. Enjoy it.

It's going to fly by. High school is the only time you're ever going to have such little responsibilities. It's the last time you’ll ever be a child. Before you know it, you’ll be trying on your cap and gown and getting ready to go off to college. Make the most of it, you can never get this time back.

Love,

Your Senior Self