Little Tip

Hey there, class of 2016. How ya doin? I've been doing well since I graduated. Hope you're doing well too.

In an effort to enrich your last year of high school, I have a couple of tips for you! (Because I know how anxious 17-year-olds are to be bossed around by someone barely older than you.) But really, these are things I wish I had been told when I was starting my senior year, so pay attention.

1. Learn to just say "Yes." This is a glorious thing, being packed into one building with all the people your age. Your cup of opportunity floweth over. Take opportunities as they come to you. Do things you don't think you like or aren't sure you are capable of doing. And don't ever be afraid to waste your own time.  It's better than wasting an opportunity.
   
2. THE ONLY NUMBERS THAT MATTER IN YOUR FUTURE ARE YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY AND YOUR DEBIT CARD PIN. You know how many future employers are going to ask about your 4.0? (Zero. The answer is zero.) While it's important to invest time and effort into studying so that you will be better prepared to be a citizen of the world, your education will be more effective if you worry about your mind rather than your grades. It's a subtle difference. But here's an example: are you taking that AP class because you want to pursue a higher level of learning, or are you taking that AP class because a counselor told you it would "look better" on transcripts or applications?
   
3. Smile. The hype is true: it changes entire days. You'll get a reputation for being happy and kind, and others will feel important and worthwhile. Seriously. Smile.
   
4. Smell good. Always. People are 144949530% more likely to enjoy your company if you have carefully prepared your odor to be pleasant. Also, good smells lead to snuggles. It's scientifically proven.
   
5. Work hard, play hard, love hard, let them down gently.
   
6. Oh my gosh, please apply. Apply to colleges. Apply for literally every scholarship that could possibly include you. And then enjoy the present, once you've made provisions for your future.
   
7. And finally, when the year ends, DON'T BURN BRIDGES. It seems so inviting, the chance to say all the venomous things you've been concealing in your heart, maybe since your sand-munching preschool days. BUT DON'T DO IT. Keep it classy, and part in peace. Then you win.

Elizabeth B

If you haven't read Pride and Prejudice (or at least watched one of the 3 million movies based on it,) here's the scoop: Elizabeth Bennet, a lovely, smart, clever, funny, independent woman, grows up in Georgian England's version of the middle class. Her mom tries to marry her off to a relation in order to save the family estate, and she refuses because she wants to marry for love. A gorgeous, unbelievably rich man asks her to marry her, and she also turns him down, because he doesn't fit her standards. She thinks he's too proud and vain, and he's also done some things she doesn't approve of. (He turns out to be amazing, though.)

Then there's the third dude. He's charming and funny and handsome and polite and soft-spoken and pretty much perfect.

And he's a con man.

Elizabeth, smart and independent Elizabeth, falls into the age-old trap. And that's why I love her, and why she's still one of the most beloved literary characters of all time. She is a good woman with intelligence and strength of character. She proves that you're not a stupid or bad person just because you make mistakes. Which is one of the most important things that any woman can learn about herself.

You have made mistakes. You will make mistakes. That's part of life. But as long as you never let your mistakes make you, you'll be okay.