There is so much to look forward to in the final year of high school: times with friends, prom, graduation and closing the door on a major chapter in your life with the exciting prospect of opening a new one. Life doesn’t end when you walk across the stage with a diploma in hand — it begins.

Of course, before you can get that diploma, there is still a lot you have to do involving school work, GPAs, SATs or ACTs. These are not only the keys to getting you to graduate, but also to life beyond: college. Now I realize not everyone decides to go to college immediately after high school, if at all; however, the fact of the matter is, the majority of life depends on having a college education and degree. The journey to college is a stressful one but the effort is worth it in the relief you will feel when the acceptance letters arrive and you make the decision that shapes your life forever.

While going to college has always been my goal, I was not prepared for the stress I felt through the admissions process as I filled out applications, had endorsement interviews, got recommendations, took my ACT and SAT and worked to keep my GPA above the lowest accepted at my dream schools. The work paid off when I was accepted to the three I applied to and I saw my relief reflected in the eyes of the hundreds of my classmates around me as the same happened for them.

Of course, not everyone is accepted to the schools of their dreams; however, I am a firm believer in applying to several schools and always going the extra mile in life, specifically your school work and applications. By keeping your options open wide, you lessen the risk of suddenly having none when it comes to college next year, and you get the euphoric feeling of denying an acceptance in order to accept one from a school that’s a better fit for you.

I know I push academics heavily because they were always pushed on me, but senior year I finally dropped from all the AP classes I had been trying to fill my transcript with and opted for the on-level options as that allowed me more time to spend at work and with my friends, doing the most important thing to do before you move away: making memories.

The notes I took and poured over for hours before each test are long forgotten but the wind rushing in my face as I rode down the highway with the windows down with my best friends will never fade from my memory. Having those experiences is essential to shaping you into who you want to be and will teach you more than a textbook ever could.

My final words of advice are to find a balance in your life. Know when to push through and when you’ve reached your limit and need to take a break because, sometimes, that’s the only thing left to do. Always believe in yourself because you are capable of so much more than you ever imagined you could be and give everyone the benefit of the doubt. People never cease to amaze me. Humans have such a capacity to love and to accomplish great things if they only let themselves so I would encourage you to surprise yourself every day. A year from now, you’ll look back and be pleasantly surprised with how far you’ve come and how much you can do, if you only try.