Dear Younger Sibling,

It's almost your time to shine. "Your time," meaning you are mere moments away from graduating high school. I've known you for years and you are very talented and intelligent so it's no wonder you got into a great college. You may be looking forward to your college year, but don't be fooled by the amount of freedom you will have once you get here. Sure, college is fun and you will enjoy being involved in new experiences, but there is so much more than that in store for you.

You will be busy as heck. In college, you will be juggling your classes with extra circulars, possible jobs, and sleep. To keep yourself in an organized manner, you will have to start practicing your time management skills and make a schedule for yourself that you need to learn to live by – something that can remind you where you have to go during the day. Speaking of which, it wouldn't be such a bad idea to look into the map of the college so you don't get lost.

Go to class. Trust me, there will be days where you wake up late or just in the nick of time to get to class, but you won't have the energy to get out of bed. I know that some classes may not be mandatory, but that doesn't give you a reasonable excuse to miss it. There are a lot of college students, I know, who don't go to class, and because of this, they miss valuable information that they struggle to comprehend. Please don't end up like them. Also, you are paying for these classes. You should really get your money's worth.

You will miss your family and friends back home (Mainly your friends not going to the same college as you). Missing your friends is pretty self-explanatory, but what you can do to ease your mind is texting them from time to time. Stay close to your true friends. Don't let those high school friendships burn out. If you want to remain friends, you need to put forth the effort into trying to reconnect. Furthermore, this may surprise you, but you will miss your family. If you're anything like the introvert I am, you're going to tend to want to call home or anyone really (just for the sake of talking to someone).

I know I don't say this very often, but I am proud of you. I have watched you grow up through the years and seeing you walk across that stage in a few months is something I won't forget. I know you may deny wanting me around, but I can promise you I'm not going anywhere. As you start this college journey of yours, just remember that you have many people in your life that will support you no matter what.

Sincerely,

Your Big Sis