Recently I returned to my high school for an alumni panel. Answering questions about college got me thinking about my "advice" about second semester seniors in high school who are battling their own college process. So, here goes...
How To: Converse with a High School Senior
1) Approach senior.
2) Be lost for any sort of talking point specific to said senior.
3) Oh! Ask where they're going to college.
4) Wonder what's triggered their sudden panic attack.
How To: Arrive for Class On-time
Freshman: Leave lunch 15 minutes early for all classes.
Sophomore: Leave 5 minutes early.
Junior: Arrive on-time or 5 minutes late because you were panic-finishing homework.
Senior: We had class?
How To: Relax About the College Process
1) Realize that this process is yours and yours alone.
2) Obsess about what everyone else in your class is doing.
How To: Meet Application and Decision Deadlines
1) Start preparing weeks in advance.
2) Be prepared to submit, but decide to "sleep on it" for three weeks without changing anything.
3) Wait until the last minute to make a decision.
4) Submitted 11:59 pm, like a boss.
How To: Choose a Common App Essay Topic
1) Follow Kylie Jenner's lead and think about a time you've realized something. Then repeat that epiphany over an over again without much editing.
2) Talk about the life-changing service trip you took the summer before senior year.
3) Write a bitter rant about how you figured high school out before everyone else and had to wait for them to catch up.
4) Write about how Harvard is the perfect school for you and send it to Michigan, Wisconsin, Wash U, Yale, Princeton, and Brown.
How To: Cure Senioritis
1) Get a letter from your college saying your admission will be rescinded if your grades drop significantly.
2) Receive a subsequent email from your current high school saying you can only miss 5 classes before you flunk.
3) Count four skips and 3 tardies.
4) Start leaving for class with the freshman 15 minutes early.
Ok, now some serious advice...
How To: Choose a School
1) Try it on and see how it feels:
a) Wear the apparel for each school for a day.
b) Tell people you're going there (people like your overly-friendly Uber driver).
2) Consider what's really important to you in the next four years:
a) Does this school have majors that you want to study?
b) Does it have things you need to stay healthy? (gym, good food, mental health services, Tempurpedic mattresses)
3) Go with your instincts:
a) What are you willing to let go or compromise on? (size, athletics, location, greek life)
4) Return to your high school panel and share your own advice.
