Having once been a senior in high school, I know what it's like to just want out. Out of your small town. Out of your house. Out of this life that you can't stand to lead. College is a good place to go i you want to escape from everything and learn to be you. However, being ready to leave high school doesn't mean you're automatically ready for adulthood, for college. Here are some tips from me, a college freshman, to you. the high school senior.
1. Don't apply to every college that crosses your mind.
Honestly, it is so expensive to apply to college. Depending on the University, you could pay upwards of $50 just to apply to the school. It's better to only apply to the schools you are seriously considering, or apply to ones where you can get the application fee waived (Morehead State does a fee waiver for their Open Houses, "Application Week", and for Dual Credit students (those students who take college classes in high school, like I did)).
2. Don't decide right away which college you want to go to. Your preferences are going to change.
Trust me, I applied to 4 colleges, and I changed my mind twice on what college I would go to. I made the mistake of choosing the college that sent me an acceptance letter first (that happened to be Campbellsville University), but when I actually got more involved, I found that the closeness of Morehead as well as the fact that I liked the bowling program here actually convinced me to commit to Morehead in early February, and I had applied to Morehead in September. So don't choose your school right away, explore your options.
3. Make time for your high school friends.
But don't break the law while doing it.
The biggest mistake I made in high school was to not hang out with my friends outside of school. I found that sometimes your friend dynamics can change after you graduate, so making time with friends that you established in high school can help those dynamics not change, as well as making your friendships stronger.
5. Don't count down to graduation.
Counting down the days til graduation just adds stress, because you have to prepare for getting all of your classes done, making sure your dues are paid, planning parties, planning for college, and everything else on top of that. Cherish your days left in high school, because you're going to want them back, no matter how awful your high school experience was.
6. Don't be lazy.
On the flip side of being social, don't be lazy with your class work. Believe it or not, it's extremely important to pass high school. If you're not passing your classes, you can't graduate. At my high school, if you fail the class, you still move on, but you have to retake that class. During your senior year, if you don't pass one of your classes, you either have to graduate from summer school, or you repeat your senior year. They don't let you graduate just because you're a senior.
7. Don't worry about dorm life yet.
Don't worry about decorating your dorm, meeting your roommate, or anything like that while you are still in high school. The summer is perfect for planning things like that, but while you're still in high school, you need to worry about high school things.
8. Spend time with your family.
Don't be so quick to move out, and don't be so quick to cut your family out of your life right after graduation, because unless you're getting an apartment or you already live in one, you're still going to be living with your family until you move onto campus. Go out with your family, spend time with your mom, your dad, your siblings, your aunts and uncles, your grandparents, because that's going to be the last time you'll get to spend any significant amount of time with them until the breaks in college.
9. Realize that everything is going to be okay.
It's perfectly normal to be freaking out about college, especially since this is going to be your first time moving out of your house, living on campus, and living with people that you don't know. It's also perfectly okay to freak out at the fact that your mom won't be there to comfort you when you get your heart broken, or to fix you homemade food whenever you want her to. College is a big deal, and you're going to learn a lot of things about yourself where you're here!
