Transitioning from high school to college is a huge deal. Seniors will pack up their belongings, say goodbye to their friends and family ,and begin a new chapter of their life. Some seniors may be nervous, excited, or a little bit of both, and that is okay! ENN interviewed several TG alumni and asked them what advice they have for all of you seniors getting ready to leave the little school on the hill and move on to bigger and better things. Take notes seniors, their answers are as follows:

“My advice is to not have any expectations for college but keep an optimistic attitude no matter what!  I also wish someone would have told me that there will be a lot of tough decisions you will have to make and likely a lot of mistakes will be made but in the end you will be grateful for the experience anyway!” – 2015 Grad Megan Cummings

“Don’t just stick with your friends from high school, it is alright to first be with them as you start the year, but don’t exclude yourself to just the high school friend group that went to the same college. Because the best thing about college is all the new people to meet and the more people you meet and get to know well, the better of a chance you will have more connections to help find jobs later. One thing I wish I was told before my freshman year would be don’t just do your homework to get it done, do it to understand it. This will cut back on the time you spend studying for exams (which are way harder in college!!)” -2015 Grad Joe Brey

“My biggest advice for seniors going into college is to not take anything about your senior year for granted. Once you go to college you might not talk to your high school friends everyday, so appreciate getting to see them everyday now. Even though the welcome week events your first week of school seem stupid, go to them and try to make friends with everyone right away, because college friends will become your new family at school! Don’t stay up too late and don’t procrastinate, because it will come back to bite you later. One thing I wish someone would have told me before going to college is get used to spending time alone. You’ll have your friends, but college is also a time to define yourself by doing your own thing. It’s hard to stay in and study when your friends are going out, but I promise it’ll be worth it when you get that good grade on your test.” -2015 Grad Catherine Hegedus

“The advice I would give to seniors before beginning college is to really REALLY take time to take in the atmosphere of TG (teachers, school, sports) & spend as much time possible with friends! Don’t stay home to watch Netflix and skip out on a night with people… You will have plenty days in college to watch Netflix hahah! Senior year truly goes by as fast as everyone says it does.  One thing I wished I would’ve understood better before I went to college is how much you’re going to miss your friends and family!!! College is truly such a great time because you get to make all your decisions and become so much more independent! It’s fun, but it’s also hard because you never see your high school besties anymore.. And it’s also harder because I think I was hesitant to make new besties and “leave” the old. High school friendships don’t end, just become different! It turns into spending everyday in the summer… To a FaceTime once or twice a week.. And the FaceTimes slowly become harder to have because you meet new people and soon your old friends do not know the people you have new stories to tell about! But always always.. Your high school friends will always be there for you when times are hard in college, and I am forever thankful for TG giving me the girls that are always there.” -2015 Grad Sarah Kastenmeier

“My biggest piece of advice for seniors beginning college is to sharpen your time management skills before next fall. College will undoubtedly be some of the best years of your life, but at times, the amount of work you have will feel overwhelming. The best way to deal with this is to start practicing doing little chunks of work here and there whenever you have time, rather than cramming it all in the night before it’s due. This is beneficial for two reasons: One, you won’t have to experience the dreaded cramming night nearly as often as some of your peers and two, you’ll be able to relax and have fun much easier at night and on weekend knowing you stayed on top of your work and don’t have piles left to still do. One thing I wish people had told me before I left for college is that even though it seems like the decisions you are making seem huge and daunting, they are comparably small in the grand scheme of things. Although it is important to take time to thoroughly think through big decisions, know that change is part of life and things are going to happen while you are at college that are outside of your control. Keep a positive attitude and your head up, and everything will workout fine.” -2012 Grad Mike Hinrichs

“Establish a daily routine where you make time for classes, meals, work, extracurriculars, studying, and socializing. You might feel like you’re missing out at times, but it’s better to get ahead than behind. Also, Simply enjoy every second of it.  It really does fly by.  And don’t take it for granted.” TG Grad Andrew Million

Transitioning to college is an exciting part of your life. As most of the alum said, don’t wish these last few days spent at TG away. Yes, when graduation day comes you will no longer be a student at Totino-Grace. However, you will forever be a part of the wonderful community and the memories you have made your four years here will last a lifetime.