This is it. The moment you have been waiting for: the chance to walk out that school door once and for all, and never come back. But before you go sprinting towards the door at the end of the tunnel, take a step back and look at where you are. This moment is something you are never going to get back. Enjoy your final months of high school while you can, because once you step off that graduation stage, you are going to change. I guarantee it.
You aren’t going to realize the change the day of graduation. You won’t even realize it in a few months during the summer. You might feel a bit of longing when everyone returns back to school and you aren’t, but that’s not going to change you. This change I am speaking of is going to hit you when you least expect it. For myself, it hit the night before finals week last semester. I finally realized that high school was over and no matter how much I wish I was still there, I’m not, and I need to focus .
on college because that’s where I am now. I look back and am shocked to see how much I have grown and matured since my senior year.
Enjoy your time while you still have it. Do things you normally wouldn’t do. Go tell that boy you had a crush on him back in 3rd grade. Tell that girl that even though everyone thought she was kinda weird, she rocks for being herself. Definitely go tell all of your teachers thanks for putting up with you all these years. Chances are that you are never going to see the people again, so you might as well go for it. You might hate high school, but it’s a safe cushion for you to sit on. All too soon, that cushion will be yanked out from underneath you, leaving you to fend for yourself.
Please listen to my advice to you from a college freshman who all too well knows what it is like. In college, you aren’t going to be able to slide by the seat of your pants, like in high school. You will actually have to do work and study if you want to make good grades to continue going there. If you are putting all of your money into schooling, you can’t just slack off. Also, please go to class. Even though the teachers aren’t going to make sure you are there every day doesn’t mean that you can skip class. You will have assignments that can only be done in class, and you will miss material. Just get up and get to class, although don’t schedule any 8am classes. You might have been able to do it for 12 years in school, but it’s harder to get up on time in college, so just don’t do it.
You also need to enjoy where you are for a little while longer. Hug your pets; you don’t see them much in college. Hug your parents; they can’t come with you. If you aren’t going to college, then be ready to be in the real world. Write a resume, so you can find a good quality job because you deserve it. Find as much experience in your destined major as you can, because it absolutely helps when you have somewhat of a background in the field.
More than anything, please don’t take where you are for granted. I would love nothing more than to do high school over again, and I know that many of my fellow classmates would agree with me. You are being blessed with an opportunity that you won’t fully understand until you are gone. Enjoy your senior year for it only happens once.
Sincerely, A College Freshman