> 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

Unipeg, if you are any thing in real life like you are here in Rinkworks you'll do fine.
I was raised a military brat, so I moved a lot but never made freinds really fast. I was freaked about college since this would be the first move that was just 'me'. But I soon found that it was much easer to make friends in college. When ever I moved into a new school the social dynamic was already set and I was the *new* kid. Even when I had friends I would have to sit through remincients they would have of stuff they all did in Kindergarden. But at college everyone in your class is the *new* kid, which helps. Everyone is looking for new friends and the cliques don't form up for a bit.
My suggestion for copeing is try to avoid senioritis. (senioriti: (n) a condition high school seniors are afficted with, involving attiude, apathy, and heightened sense of nostalgia brought on by a sense nervousness of graduating which is heightened due to the large number of peopel being nervous at the same time) A good idea is to applie for a colleges asap, get that out of the way quick, then relax, but don't get apathetic. Find something to keep you occupied your senior year that isn't senior'realted. Enjoy any senior privliges you get but don't flaunt them at the underclassmen.
When you get to college join some clubs, don't just go to classes. Joining a club is (as trite as this sounds) a great way to make new freinds.

That was kinda long wasn't it?

Speed'Seeyourfuture,Beyourfuture'ball