Dear Senior,
Welcome to the most bittersweet and fun year of high school. Please enjoy it. Take full advantage of every activity that goes on at school, go to as many events as possible, have more school spirit than you ever had before, and most importantly, have fun in everything you do.
I know you'll have senioritis and want to get out of high school way quicker than time will allow, but when it comes time to head off to college, you will be wishing you could do it all over again. Slow down, love the little things, and cherish every "last" you experience. High school holds some of the best memories of your life so make sure those memories are so good you will never forget them.
Talk to your favorite teachers as much as you can because very soon you won't be seeing them anymore. Go to all the dances and tear up the dance floor with your friends. Spend as much time with your true friends as possible. Don't waste time trying to be cool or popular because none of that will matter in a few months. Don't put your energy into people who aren't good to you because chances are, those fake friendships will quickly end as soon as graduation is over. Have school spirit and take advantage of everything your hometown has to offer. In just a few short months you will be missing all the little things that you never thought you would.
Apply for college early, especially if you have your heart set on one place! Shoot for the moon when it comes to applying and looking at different schools, you never know what exactly the admissions officers are looking for. But also be realistic with yourself; you don't want to set your sights on only Ivy level schools if your grades aren't what would be expected of Ivy students. Apply to all different schools, even that one that your mom thinks you will love, but you aren't too sure about.
Colleges DO look at your grades your senior year so don't slack off and end up with bad grades. Your grades still do matter. Take the ACT/SAT as many times as you want, but if you don't do as well as you would have liked don't beat yourself up. No one will ask you what your score was once this year is over.
There is so much that goes into senior year and it may seem overwhelming right now, but I promise it is nothing to stress over. Everything will work out in time. There are a lot of decisions to make so focus on making those decisions based on what makes you happy, not what makes anyone else happy. This is your year, your life, your memories, and your happiness. Take control of it and do with it what you want. Have fun with it and love every minute of it.
Sincerely,
Someone who has been there
