Letter to My High School Seniors

 

 

Dear Seniors, 

 

     I get it. I get the stress, applications, confusion, excitement, craziness, and 

 

exhaustion of senior year. I was in your spot last year listening to everyone tell me 

 

that I’d get through it. I listened to people tell me how I’d love college and I’d end up 

 

where I’m meant to be. I was hesitant to believe them. In my mind, I wanted to live in 

 

the moment and not to rush things. I loved being a senior, and I felt like I finally had 

 

my group of friends that meant so much to me. Why would I want to leave a place 

 

that had everything I needed? But more importantly, would I ever find a place that I 

 

could call home?

 

     It terrified me. The long lists of colleges and universities were overwhelming. I 

 

didn’t know how to narrow it down, and I felt lost. Don’t get me wrong; I knew 

 

college was the option for me. I was excited underneath all the anxiety. But, the 

 

anxiety still reappeared every chance it could. The fall of senior year is a whirlwind 

 

of college tours, applications, and essays. You feel like your head will explode if you 

 

have to list your extracurricular activities one more time for potential colleges to see. 

 

Campuses seem to blend together. But trust me when I say that it is all worth it. 

 

     I just came home for fall break, and I could see how you, my senior babies, were 

 

enjoying your last high school year and simultaneously stressing about college. I 

 

could see the eagerness to get to college already and the frustration at having to 

 

apply. You could list off due dates to applications without even thinking. I 

 

understand it all. So let me share some advice…

 

 

Appreciate people. Friends, siblings, teachers, parents, coaches. These are the 

 

people whose shoulders you’ll be crying into come August before move-in day. They 

 

are the ones who have impacted and shaped you the past 18 years. Whether you 

 

realize it or not, they are part of you. High school friends are there for the crazy 

 

adventures, late-night texts, and pep rallies. Your best friends are high school. High 

 

school isn’t a building as cliché as that sounds. It’s the time in your life when you 

 

begin to see where you fit in the world. And the people you choose to surround 

 

yourself with are the ones who help you figure it all out.

 

 

Do your best on applications, but don’t stress about them. Some college 

 

admissions’ processes are intense; others aren’t. You’ll apply, you’ll wait, and you’ll 

 

get the decision. It is not the end of the world if you don’t get into a school. I got 

 

rejected from 2 of the 5 schools applied. I know classmates who found other schools 

 

to be excited about after their first choice schools fell through. I also know students 

 

who got accepted off the wait list. It happens. You’ll love where you end up. And by 

 

the off chance you don’t like it, transferring is always an option. But, college is really 

 

about yourself, so you’ll make your own college experience no matter where you 

 

end up.

 

College was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I understand college may not 

 

be for everyone. I don’t have my life figured out (not even close), but college is my 

 

opportunity to figure it out. I’ve been in college for 2 months now, and I have 

 

learned more about myself in these 8 weeks then in my last 8 years of life. In college, 

 

you learn how to take care of yourself, but you also realize how strong you are. It 

 

puts you in unfamiliar and sometimes uncomfortable situations. It’s foreign and 

 

strange. You go through homesickness, anxiety, and stress. But, you get through it. 

 

And you realize how amazing you are. You meet so many people with so many ideas 

 

that you feel more connected and involved in life. You realize how messed up but 

 

united the world is. You realize that you have things to contribute to this crazy 

 

world, and you become excited to take part in it. It’s difficult to describe this feeling 

 

college gives you because it’s hard to put it into words. Just know, that college will 

 

push you academically and personally in your growth. That’s why you go. 

 

     I don’t have all the answers, and I know you’re not necessarily searching for them. 

 

I just hope to give you a little insight as you prepare to leave high school. It’s a 

 

challenging time in the best possible way, but it’s necessary for you as a person. This 

 

confusion and stress will only make you appreciate your next four years even more. 

 

Take care and know that people will help you if you ask. You don’t know everything, 

 

but you do know how to get through the ups and downs of senior year. You just 

 

need to take each day at a time and realize that life is just getting started. So enjoy 

 

every minute! 

 

So Much Love, 

 

College Girls Who Promise it Gets Easier