As the first semester of senior year comes to a close, it’s an emotional time. Thoughts are beginning to sink in that us seniors are almost done with high school. One of the many emotional factors that come with this change in life is leaving your friends.

For me at least, I have attended schools in Frisco ISD for 13 years, so I have been going to school with the same people since kindergarten. Now, we all have our own lives to take on and that starts with leaving to go off and do whatever it is. It is going to feel so strange to see people I’ve known since I was 5 graduate with me and then go off.  Not everyone will be leaving, but change is coming nonetheless.

Everyone says that you will most likely never see your friends from high school again once college approaches. I can see how it applies to those who identify with a large group, or if their friend group is based solely on a common interest or activity such as partying.

However, I firmly believe that throughout my years of high school, I have done a great job in finding genuine friends rather than hanging around those that would make me “cool” or “popular.” The only real consequence I faced with this was adjusting to being lonely at times and learning that it’s okay and actually healthy to have alone time. I was once the girl who talked to anyone and everyone, but today I am very picky about who I allow into my life.

This is much better for me in the long run because I truly think that I have found lifelong friends in my years of high school- and not many people can say that. The few friends that have stuck by me until this point have been through it all with me, so college isn’t something that will seperate us. My advice to any underclassmen would be to go down this path rather than the trendy one without a doubt. Hanging out with huge groups and doing cool activities together may be fun in the moment, but at the end of the day there most likely are little to no people in that group that will do absolutely anything for you.

If you’re close with your family, leaving them is another emotional aspect to this process. However, what I’ve heard from current college students or post high school graduates is that moving out is a very important part of your experience. They have told me countless times that if you stay home, it isn’t much different from high school.

While it’s scary and kind of sad, maybe it’s time to move on. We all have to do it at some point anyway. Providing for yourself and not having your parents around to solve your problems is going to be a wake up call for some, but it’s extremely important as it teaches us how to live our own lives without guidance or instant assistance.

With that being said, if you’re not quite ready to move out whether it be financially or emotionally, that is okay too. It’s not a shameful thing to put your process on hold by a year or two in order to ensure that you’re in the right place to move on. Whatever route people choose to pursue after school, new people and new experiences are coming.