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Dear Candy girls,

You are about to finish high school. I am about to finish college. Here are some things I’d like to share with you, that hopefully will be of some use to you as you go through your journey.

First of all, I know how senior year (whether in high school or in college) feels. There’s a hovering sense of finality—you’re conscious of the fact that this is your last year. You may feel sentimental, reluctant to leave high school, you may be relieved, crying good riddance, or you may be excited at the prospects of a new adventure. However you feel about senior high, make the most out of it. You will never ever return to high school, so make this year count.

College is very different from high school, which is why, if you’re going to ask me which one is more fun, or which one is more memorable, I can’t give a proper answer. College and high school are simply incomparable. They teach you different things, they give you different experiences. They will also shape two different versions of yourself—this may not make sense now, but trust me, once you’re a college upperclassman, you’ll look back at high school and you won’t be able to believe the person you were back then!

Having said that, don’t enter college expecting it to be like high school. Well, I suppose in other colleges, where you have block sections for years, it’ll be close. I went to UP, where college is nothing like high school. Ha ha! I suggest, enter college with an openness and an excitement for new things. Don’t constantly look for the familiarity of the past, and don’t be afraid to explore the unknown.

This year you’ll be filling out your application forms, and you’ll be picking out course choices. Some of you might be forced by other people to take certain paths. Some of you know what you want to take. Some may still be very unsure. Let me tell you this: Don’t be pressured. What you want to do later in life will still keep changing, even in college! The choices you write on your application forms are rarely the final deal. Of course, do think about them hard, but don’t limit yourself to them.

I might as well give you advice on the exams. The UPCAT is the easiest, it’s the competition that makes it hard (there’s 70,000 of you taking the test!); the ACET’s math part is really killer, you won’t have enough time (unless you’re a walking calculator) and will be forced to guess a whole column or two; and the DLSUCET includes an on-the-spot essay in both English and Filipino.

A brief note to the college freshmen: Also consider what I said about courses. Be careful in handling your newfound freedom—it’s like being given power. Use it well. I encourage you to join orgs, and to explore what there is to explore. Oh, and enjoy college because it’s your last shot at a carefree existence! Haha!

Finally, girls, whatever year you’re in, whether you’re in high school or college, always, always, always remember to have the time of your life.

For a rather anticlimactic ending (haha), here are my high school and college graduation photos.

Hopefully, in the span that separates these photos in time, I became not just older, but wiser, better. Hopefully, it will be the same for you.

Love,
Micah

PS
Happy birthday to my good friend, fellow geek and gay crush, Stan! I heart you, see you soon!