First off, I want to congratulate you on finally making it to your senior year! I understand the anticipation that you have felt up until now. Even though you are already starting to count down the days until graduation, I have to encourage you to slow down. I understand that you just want to finish, but be patient.

I probably sound a little contradictory because I started counting down the days until graduation during my junior year, but if you thought the past three years went fast, just wait. Senior year will fly by and I know it will do the same for you.

I just want you to spend as much time with your friends as possible because come July or December, you will all go your separate ways. Enjoy the times that you sit up having late night talks and the times where you want to kill them all because you were trying to study and they were all being loud. Enjoy the little things. Though I did not live on campus, I still continue to enjoy every moment I have had so far within these last few years.

Even if you commute to school, be there as much as possible and participate in all of the events that you never have before. Soak in the atmosphere because the campus will be a distant memory for you sooner than those who lived on campus.

Parts of your first semester will seem to drag, and you will have an overwhelming, "I'm never going to finish," feeling, but then you blink; break is two days away.

When the new semester starts up, you will start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It's so close but still just out of reach. Don't give up now. Don't let your papers start lacking content, and don't let your discussion boards be three sentences; finish strong!

Soon, the weather will start to become nice enough to study outside. This is a good time to start your countdown because by this time it should be in the double digits! It's really exciting to see only two numbers and not three. Once you get to that point, you'll understand what I mean.

There will be a ton of stress over your last semester, but just keep remembering this is the last time that you will ever have to worry about big projects of this size! Keep pushing on, but don't rush through it. I might sound crazy when I tell you to enjoy the stress, but trust me, you'll understand that too when you finish up.