Dear High School Seniors,

There are some things you’ll learn after a semester or so in college. For example, don’t procrastinate. You’ve probably heard this most of your life, but putting off a paper, or speech, or studying until the last minute is not a good idea. Why? Well one of the reasons is that high school classes don’t even compare to your workload here. 15 credits here equals about 45 hours of studying outside of class per week. Did you study or work on homework for 45 hours outside of high school? Doubt it.

Worried about making friends? Another thing you'll adjust to is the community. For many, this is the first time we're living without our families, so most people are eager to make make friends.That's understandable... think of it as a fresh slate. There will be people you never imagined you’d meet, and yet you somehow can’t imagine life without them. To make matters even better, you get to live/eat/study/learn with your friends. Sure, it sounds like common sense, but it’s something that you have to experience in order to understand.

Also, the freshman 15 is real. If you're in high school on a sports team you have the opportunity to practice almost every day after school. In college, you'll likely work out on your own time. it sounds like common sense, but unless you're on an organized sports team, you'll fit your desired workout sessions in with your schedule on your own time. In a seriousness, if you gain the freshman 15, so what? While the freshman 15 does exist, you can at least still make healthy choices.

College is an exciting and educational time. College is different from high school, but you'll find "your people" and you'll survive classes. Hope you enjoy the rest of your senior year and get ready for the adventure of a lifetime.