by Rebecca Weinstein

Created on: March 01, 2009   Last Updated: March 03, 2009

The last four years of your life have gone by in a blur. It seems like only yesterday you were nervously stepping over the threshold of your high school and became low man on the totem pole. Now you are the big man (or girl) on top, a senior in high school, ready to graduate and move on to college. Here are the top 10 things you should do before high school ends.

10. Realize that you will no longer be the big man (or girl) on top. You are going to have to start all over again, being at the bottom of the food chain on campus. It will take some hand shaking, elbow rubbing, and even a few activities bordering on hazing to get out of your lowered status.

9. Learn about money. Money doesn't grow on trees, your mother's part down her scalp is NOT the slot on a piggy bank, and sooner or later you're going to have to get a job. Try one out now if you don't already have one. You may have to change jobs when you get to college, but it's worth a head start now. Remember that no job is beneath you because everyone has to start out at the bottom and work their way up. Learn how to write a check, balance your checkbook, and stop throwing away your bank statements. If you don't have a bank account, get one! Start saving, you're going to need it for textbooks, food, and not to mention, going out and having fun!

One more word on money: There will be a lot of opportunities to get easy credit cards in college. Don't fall for it. You'll have enough things to pay for without breaking the bank on new cd's or a big t.v. that you can't afford. If you can't afford it now, you can't afford to pay it off in small doses either.

8. Learn how to do laundry and dishes. No, you can't use dishsoap in the clothes washer OR the dishwasher, there's specialized soaps for each of them. Learn how to sort laundry by colors, temperature washes, and cycles. Learn when to use what cycle, and what can and can't go in the dryer, lest you wind up with a $300 cashmere sweater that is now fit for a small doll. Learn how to load a dishwasher correctly, you know, the way Mom wants you to, not the way you do. A lot of college dorms don't even have dishwashers, so better learn how to wash and dry by hand!

7. Learn how to cook. There is no better joy in life than knowing how to cook, and cook well. I don't mean macaroni and cheese from the box, either. Yes, you can survive on Ramen your whole college career, but you won't be any better for it. Pick up a few good cookbooks from Alton Brown or Rachael Ray and start

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