To The High School Senior Who Is Afraid Of Change,

Being afraid is okay. You have a routine. You begin each day knowing what you can expect. You go through your day, come home, and do it all again tomorrow. But that’s changing. You are graduating and that is a scary thought for you. The school you knew you would be returning to in just a few short months for the last 4 years is about to become a place full of memories, a place you can look back on, and a place you will no longer attend.

You may regret all of the times you said “I can’t wait to get out of here” and wished your days away. But even if you filled those days with “I love this place,” would time go any slower? No. Don’t be full of regrets about what you did and did not do during your 4 years. Instead, think about all of the memories and friendships that have been created within the walls of your high school.

You are about to start a new journey in life where you won’t always see a familiar face in your class. Whether you are going across the country, 5 hours away, or 2 minutes from home, it will be scary in the beginning but trust me, it gets better.

You will hear horror stories about how many papers, presentations, all-nighters for the toughest exams there will be in college and they aren’t false. But you will get through it. You will make friends in college, and trust me, these people will turn into some of your best friends.

You don’t have to know what you want to do with the rest of your life. Go in undecided. Don’t be afraid to switch your majors as many times as it takes you to find the right one. But also, don’t be afraid if you stick with one major your whole college career. Know that every college student has a different experience. Don’t compare, you aren’t doing it wrong. College may seem extremely scary and you hate the thought of this big change, but you will get through it. Change is a part of life that every single person has to deal with.

Take it all in. Take everything one step at a time and one day at a time. College goes a lot faster than high school.

Good luck,

A College Student Who Also Hated Change