Dear Seniors,

Congrats! You made it through your high school career. If you’re anything like me, whenever you heard anyone promise you that senior year would fly by, you brushed them off, not paying them much mind. Looks like they were right all along, huh?

Let me be the first to tell you, that doesn’t stop. Next year, most of you will be freshmen at the colleges of your choice. As my freshman year draws to a close, I find myself amazed at how swiftly the year has passed. I promise you, the same will happen to you. That puts a responsibility on you guys, though. You have to make it count while it lasts, and the key to making it count is having a strong start. Allow me to offer you a few tips that, although not always easy, will undoubtedly get you off on the right foot and give you some hilarious stories to tell later:

• In the beginning, talk to as many people as possible. If you think you’re the only nervous person in the sea of incoming freshmen during orientation, think again! No one knows anyone and is scared for all the same reasons as you! (Bonus tip: the people who act like they aren’t scared are the most scared of all. Their bravado is a defense mechanism.) There are no concrete relationships yet, so you have no obligations to anyone, and you certainly have no reason NOT to plop down with ANYONE you see.  (Remember MECO)

• You don’t have to worry about fluffing up an application anymore, so you don’t have to spread yourself thin over fifty different clubs that rarely meet and are app filler more than anything else. College allows you to pinpoint one or two of your core interests and pursue them at a deep, multifaceted level. Take advantage of any opportunity you can to get involved in something that truly interests you. You will meet likeminded people who will introduce you to new, exciting things, and you will do the same for them.

• If you are going to the same school as one of your Malvern brothers, avoid rooming with them if you can. Living with someone you already know will rob you of your incentive to go out and meet new people. You don’t have to sever all ties with your old friend, but it would be unwise to use them as a crutch.

• On a similar note, don’t worry if you feel yourself drifting apart from old friends at different schools. It’s natural and healthy. Keeping sparks alive so that you have threads to continue when you return home for breaks is great, but try not to cling to the past, expecting everything to stay the same, because it simply won’t. Instead, use this knowledge to further motivate yourself to throw yourself into college life. You’ve made it this far; the next step will come naturally.

Your time at Malvern has ended. When you pull into the Ring Road from here on out, it will be as alumni, and that is a totally different feeling. You have a fresh start in your college experience. It is up to you how you will change and grow, but I promise you, my brothers, that you WILL change and grow. You will always have Malvern to fall back on, and although your relationship to the school will change, it will still be a pillar of your identity. I pray that you all will see that for the blessing that it is. Good luck next year! God, Malvern, and I are all rooting for you.