(June 19, 2006) — Sadly, as this year has come to end, so has my stint as your faithful public servant. Actually, wait…I’m not sad. Truth be told, I couldn’t be any happier to graduate, go off to college and live off ramen noodles for the next four (or fi ve—depending on the satanic work ethic of my college professors) years. Though, I have to say, if there is any amount of sadness in my heart, it is being felt for you, the underclassman. “But why,” you ask? Because there is still at least one-to-three more years of high school for you to conquer, one-to-three more years of essays for you to write, one-to-three more years before you wear that overpriced cap and gown and walk through the amphitheater scared to death because you’re still an undeclared major. Yes, you, underclassman, still have quite the ways to go. Fear not, for I will not leave you without some aid—advice as it were. There are things you can do—precautions you can take—to make sure your grueling years left in high school will not be riddled with more problems than need be. First things fi rst: the powers-that-be will defi nitely pressure you into taking AP classes. There is this horrible assumption going around that colleges love to see a student whose resume is chocked-full with a plethora of APs, regardless of the grade you receive. No, no and no. College application checkers review thousands (yes that’s right, thousands) of applications during college season, and do not necessarily check to see that you took every AP possible. Instead, they check to see if you received consistent grades throughout high school. In sum, an AP “B” does not equal a normal class’s “A,” contrary to popular belief. Only take an AP class if you genuinely have a liking for the subject, and are pretty sure that the interest you have in the subject will result in an A. Also, you are stressing out about the SATs. Don’t. They are important, yes, but not as important as one may think. Many bomb their fi rst try and get really depressed; it’s okay, it’s normal. But what most don’t realize is that taking it a second time will usually result in an on-average 40-60 point increase. Mine did, and I totally suck at math. And lastly, hang on to your friends. And I don’t mean the ones who act phony all the time; hang on to the ones who make life easier and more carefree. It’s easy to lose touch and start worrying about other things (especially during your senior year), but I guarantee that having a support system of close friends will make any trek through high school a lot simpler and much more satisfying. I guess the most important thing to remember is to not stress out. Yes, life stinks as a teenager, we know, but whining and stressing about it isn’t going to make it any better. If you were to ask my friends (all two of them) what my personal philosophy and dedicated mantra on life is, they would tell you four words. It is these four words in the English language that I love the most, and it is these four words that I will, alas, leave you with in regards to how to take on life: Don’t worry about it.