So you know how you always saw older people with actual grown-up problems as distant beings that live among you and your friends? And the questions ‘what do you want to do with your life?’ and ‘Where do you want to go to college?’ didn’t immediately cause a tick in your left eye and a sharp pain in the back of your head.

Ah adulthood, it’s coming closer than we ever could have been ready for. If I could have a penny for every time somebody asked me one of these questions, I would be freed of scholarship and FAFSA applications.

This may seem to be the perfect time to take an extra nap and hide under your blankest from scary grownups shoving pamphlets down your throat, but I dare you to refrain just a little longer.

All worries and panic attacks aside, this was your year. No matter whom you were in High School it doesn’t matter now.  You were among the oldest and hopefully wisest in your school’s population. You were there, you survived, you conquered (or maybe you fell flat on your face, but it’s fine, you’re fine, everything is fine).

Hopefully this year you went a little lighter on your course load, since you literally just started having dark circles junior year, and you see a small light at the end of the tunnel.

You’ve come a long way. Maybe you lost a few friends, but you made some new ones too. You know more about yourself: what you like and what you don’t like, granted you’re still working on it, but hey, you know a little bit more.

You no longer feel the need to fit into a certain crowd because you’ve realized it doesn’t matter, and putting yourself in a box of who you should be is exhausting. You know People make their lives look a lot better on Instagram and Snapchat than in reality. You are so much less embarrassed by small things and have developed a carefree attitude, because you’ve done many embarrassing things by now.

Maybe you feel that, at this moment, you are at the most peace with yourself than you’ve ever been. Good job you, and congratulate yourself with a highly caffeinated beverage. Let’s not get too cocky though, after all, you’re only eighteen.