By MICHAEL BOYLAN
mboylan@thecitizennews.com

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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