I can't

believe it has been seven years since I graduated from

high school.

It seems

like it was four or five years at the most. Time flies,

my precious little graduates. That is the first piece of

advice I can give you. Before you know it, you will be

done with the first year of college and then you'll start

to feel the amazing pull of time.

See, I

figured if I wrote advice to all the graduating seniors,

maybe somebody would take my advice, set it to a beat and

then make a hit song out of it. Eventually, advertisers

will clamor to buy the song so they can run it with their

ads and I'll be a millionaire. And who doesn't want to be

a millionaire?

Anyway,

here goes...

The caste

system of high school ends today. There are no more

divisions based upon who you hang out with, what your

interests are or what you look like. You will run into

people who weren't your friends in high school and you'll

pretend that you were closer back then. There will always

be cliques, but they will never be as cliquish as they

were in high school.

Look around

you. All of these people that you party with now and call

your friends will soon start to fall by the wayside. Not

all of them, mind you, but more than you thought. The

word "forever" is used too often.

High School

will not be the best time of your life. If they try to

tell you that, don't listen to them. If they really

believe that high school was the best time in their life,

feel sorry for them. There is no set best time of your

life. Every day should be part of the best time of your

life. There should not be a clearly defined starting or

stopping point.

While in

college, get your work done quickly. It leaves you with

plenty of time to appreciate the finer things. So does

procrastination. If you can achieve a balance of both,

you'll be successful and happy.

Take notes.

Or buy them. Or copy them from somebody who takes good

notes. Notes are often more important than the text books

they make you buy. You will have to buy the books, just

don't expect to get any real money when you sell them

back.

Work while

you are in school. It's nice to have extra money and it

is a great way to make friends. Trust me, you aren't too

good for any job and, unless you were awarded

scholarships or you are a trust fund baby, you will need

the money.

Take

classes you are interested in. Let them lead you to your

destiny. Do not think you have it all figured out,

because no one does. Not even after college.

Party

responsibly. There are consequences to every action and

if you take a few seconds to think about what those

consequences are, you won't get in any serious trouble.

Respect

your freedom. It is wonderful to be able to sleep in and

not have anyone nag you to get up and go to school. It is

not wonderful to fail a class and have to tell your

parents it was because the class was too early.

Go to

sporting events at your school. Join a club. Get involved

in activities that deal with your major. Date a lot of

people. Hone your talents and try something new every

day.

Tell your

parents you love them. You wouldn't be where you are

today if it weren't for them. I don't mean because they

conceived you, I mean because they paid for everything

that got you where you are and they'll be paying for a

long, long time.

Enjoy this

final summer before college. Go out early and often with

friends. Have a great time. Be safe.

You have

just finished 12 years of schooling and by now, you

should know an awful lot. You will be infinitely smarter

when you graduate from college.

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