Congrats you have successfully made it to a favorite year of mine: the senior year, it may sound suspect to listening to some recent high school graduate giving dubious advice to rising high school seniors, since I realize you will only listen to so much of my advice here we go:
1. Make new friends: this is kind of crazy but I think you don't every single person in your grade, but there's gotta be some people who you haven't give a chance so give it to them now. Since your classes are the last pairings with these kids unless you go to the same college or do the same thing after high school, just say hello. Get to know them, you don’t need to meet your bff, or maybe you do, but you really should get to know the kids you normally wouldn’t, it’s okay I swear. This includes underclassmen, there are some hidden gems found in the junior, sophomore, and I know crazy, freshman class. I am not saying you need to walk down the halls smiling at every single person and trying to have conversation with each other, but take a social risk, this is your last concentrated dose of these people.
Recommended for you
2. DO NOT pretend that college application will do themselves, common app, if you are blessed enough to get to use the website, will save your life, but it will not fill in your application for you. As a procrastinator extraordinaire, I can tell sometimes it is even harder if you don’t have a solid deadline that is for a while. The best thing to do in the case (force yourself to), set up a deadline for each part of the process that way when the real deadline comes you aren’t about to throw your computer out the window because you procrastinated the wrong thing. This is not the thing to procrastinate, you are literally procrastinating your future so get on it!.
3. Here’s some quick tips for applying to college and doing it right, like you can declare a major but it’s not the ending the world to get your general classes out of the way, try the ACT, I’ve loved it. It is a different test, I may not know anything about the new SAT but if you aren’t happy with your scores from the SAT do the ACT, it is a good test, and yes study for that too, if you are taking an AP class, consider (or just do) take the AP test. It really saves lives by lives I mean $$$ because in the long run bc a $92 test (or more than one if you are in multiple AP classes or simply want to take the test) can get you credit for college and I know you may not care now, but you in 10 month will so just do it. If you didn’t ask your teachers for letters of recommendation, do the first week of school, they don’t have endless amounts of time, make sure to give them notice!
3a. If you aren't doing the college thing or doing it online or joining the military, simply going into the work force whatever, just make sure to give yourself a plan that once you graduate, you have an idea of what to expect you will be doing with your days.
4. If your school does some kind of a senior trip or really just general traveling advice: DO NOT PACK THE BLACK SUITCASE. Use the obnoxiously colored suitcase you have and if it's worth it to get a new one bc EVERYONE has that one and thinks to pack it bc it's the biggest. I did this, and when we got to the hotel when we were collecting our bags, it was a sea of black bags. I mean if you really need to pack that bag, make it noticeable because it’s hell to look for YOUR specific black bag at night in the Florida heat, in my experience. You've been warned, so don’t blame me if you don’t follow this advice.
5. Hold on as long as you can before the senioritis kicks in. Even if you don't think you'll get it I promise you will find yourself just not doing your homework bc “college” but isn’t really that you simply feel like another episode of the show you are watching on Netflix. Just make sure to do most of your work, it will help prepare you for college I swear! Or if that’s too much for you, leave yourself a nice cushion for the second half of the year since you may not feel like doing as much once March hits.
6.Go to your school’s (extracurricular) activities. You want to, you not, you may be planning them, but just remember: this is your last year. Your year. Make the blood,sweat, and tears of student council or your sports teams or your’s school theater department, etc. worth it. So go to your school’s homecoming, go to the football games, do these things, it can make your year more memorable, yes even prom bc someday you're going to want to have the memories of being with your high school friends and that time in your life which speaking of:
7. BUY A YEARBOOK. Yearbooks are expensive sometimes but also as I know from experience usually worth the money. As a former yearbook editor in chief, I literally spend countless lunches slaving over that book. So I know we aren't just throwing pictures and caption for fun, it is the job of the editor, advisers, and staff to sweat over the book so you don't have to! Not only that in 20 years you are going to want see you from ages ago and remember all the things, I promise it is worth it, we spent days (basically) on the book so support your fellow classmates and future yourself by buying one.
8. In the words of Sara Bareilles, say what you wanna say. Remember that time I mention this is your last dose of these kids? Tell your crush that you like them, be bold, be brave since you are only stuck with these people for nine more months, but if it's scary for you to them you may want to save this for June or if you have something mean to say save it for June.
9. Let your teachers know if you like them, they need to hear compliments too sometimes, and you know you won’t be seeing them for much longer and it is nice to hear your effort is appreciated.
10. Eat in class and don't care, believe me I did it like everyday last year and it makes the most dull class a little more bearable unless it’s against class rules, then you know eat in a different class.
11. Feeling stressed is normal, it is I promise. Wanting to cry is normal, also not feeling this is normal. Don't judge this year, you are on this crazy journey and have been for a while so just know it's cool to feel this year, you kind of have to. This is year is happening even if you put up a fight so just do it all. you can I promise then it's June and you'll see it is better then.
12. Be ready for some relationships to end, it’s totally fine to drift from some people since different schools and lives, or you know various reasons, but also classmates or casual friends are going to hit their expiration date soon so get prepared and enjoy them while they last because it's totally fine to not keeping with every single student from your high school.
13. This year is as a classmate of mine put it an "in your bag sort of year" so I am begging you do not shy away from the dramatic realization or epiphanies that come with this year. It is important. It is real. After all, you know think that senior year or graduating is not important but I promise you it is way more than you can imagine now.
14. Okay, last piece of advice and it’s a good one: ENJOY THIS YEAR. LIVE IT UP, you are did the thing that every student in high school dreams about: their senior year! It's going to a little while before you are back on top again so enjoy it enjoy this moment, after all I think you've been working towards this since 1st grade or Kindergarten or debatably Pre-K so make it a good one, good luck and enjoy it all.
