I’m really proud of you for finishing up middle school. Girls at your age can be pretty mean to one another, but you’ve handled it well. Now you finally get to leave your tiny school and transition to a big high school. Starting out, it will be weird. I know my first day of high school was so odd because the school was huge and there were so many buildings and classes and people. It may seem like you’ll never find that class, but you will.

Speaking of classes, they will start to get harder. You’ll get homework on the first day of school, pages and pages of essays to write, seemingly endless problems of math homework, and lots of textbooks to read. Oh, and you’ll actually have to study. Sometimes, this stuff can take you a few hours; other times, you’ll find yourself up at 2:00 in the morning asking yourself, “Is it worth the points or should I go to sleep?” Trust me, I’ve been there, and I’ve definitely asked myself that question in college.

The thing is, your grades are undoubtedly important, but so is your health. Please don’t exhaust yourself completely. Please stay active. Please try to eat at least somewhat healthy. I know it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal but trying to be at least a little healthy will help you in so many areas of your life. Think about playing some sports at school. Not only will they help you stay in shape, but you’ll also find that you can find an amazing community for yourself. High school sports teams are awesome for that reason. You can join this sweet little community made up of people who all have the same passion for both the sport and your school. Doing some tough workouts and playing tough games will just bring you all closer, giving you a very strong friend group.

I want you to have fun in high school, but don’t be stupid. Alcohol can wait until you’re older, and drugs are completely out of the question. I’m sorry to sound like a mom, but drugs and alcohol can so easily ruin lives — especially for young, naïve high school kids — and I don’t want you to be one of them. You’re in high school to learn about yourself and your studies and to have fun and cool experiences, but you’re also there to prepare for college.

Getting into the college of your dreams is only going to get more and more competitive. You don’t need to gear every little thing you do towards getting into college, but you should at least keep it in mind, mostly in your academics. Colleges will just like to see that you’ve maintained good grades, tested well, and gotten involved. So with that, join clubs and sports you think are cool, but also balance your commitments so that you have time to study. I know studying is no fun, but you’ll really love yourself in college if you can learn to study well now.

That reminds me — you can go to whatever college seems best for you. I love my university so much and I know you would love it here to, but there’s no one saying you have to go here too. Study what you want to study at the college you feel is best. I’ll support you no matter what.

I love you, little lady. Go take on high school like the boss you are.