> I'm scared to death. In 4 months, I'll be officially a senior. In 7 months, my brother will be gone forever (except for vacations). In a year, I'll know what college I'm going to go to (probably... I'll at least know which I want to go to). In a year and seven months, I'll be gone forever. I'll have to move hundreds of miles away, and make new friends, and deal with schoolwork without my parents on my back, and after that get a apartment and a job.... This is the first time that the fact that I'm growing up and everything will change has hit me. I'm not upset about getting out of High School or DC, but this is the first year I've really been happy with my life. I'm finally over the teenage "I'm ugly and fat" thing (although that won't change in college, probably).... actually, I guess it's the fact that this is the first year that I've had really good friends who believe the same stuff as me who I can talk to about anything... and the thought that I'll lose touch with many of them and have to leave them just hurts a lot.... I'm scared to death. I don't want my childhood to end. I don't want these 17 years to be all I have with my family. I don't want anything to change. How do you guys deal with it? Those of you in high school, how do you deal with knowing you have to leave? If you're in college, how'd you deal with leaving? If you're past that, what little tidbits of wisdom do you have for a teenager who is scared of the Real World?
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> Well, at least I'll have you guys.... you'll still be here, waiting for me at my computer, right?
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> uni"i feel like i'm writing a Dear Abby letter"peg

My biggest advice is: don't try to figure it all out. When I read this post, I thought I was reading an old journal entry of mine. (I think Bal said something about the same.) I had the same feelings. But, I am thinking of everything that I have gone through, and that's truly the best advice for you. Take it from me, someone who has gone from being a pharmacology student, to almost dropping out of college, to someone who would get an Associates degree in accounting, to someone whois getting her B.S. in Systems Analysis, and running her own computer comany. (And I'm only 22, Gah!) hehe. Things change, and the sooner you 'get' that, the sooner you will have a good time, no matter what you are doing, where you are, or who you're with. I wish I knew this a few years back.

fam "passing on the knowledge" ous