Dear Current Senior,
I know it feels crazy that you can officially call yourself a senior. You rule the school now! It might seem like yesterday that you were a little freshman in a big school, or maybe it feels like a million years ago. Either way, you are here. This year will be the craziest, most stressful, yet most fun year of your life so far.
My first piece of advice to you is to jump in head first to the college process (if you have decided or are thinking about continuing your education). It can be overwhelming at times, but the sooner you get ahead, the less stressed out you will be when deadlines roll around. And as insane as it sounds, they are not that far away. If you haven't already, start looking into schools that interest you. Tour as many colleges as you can; it never hurts to see what is out there. Try not to eliminate schools from your interest just because somebody told you they don't like it. There is a university or institution out there for everyone if you look hard enough, and where you belong may not be where everyone else fits in.
College applications are a pain if you try to cram them all in last minute. Give yourself time to enjoy the process. You will probably procrastinate important parts of your application process at times; life gets in the way (or the show you are watching on Netflix is just too good.) But you have to keep yourself motivated enough to stay on top of things and know when you need to get things done. This is your future, and you get to choose where it takes you.
If you are having a mental breakdown at the thought of starting/continuing the process, take a deep breath. I promise you, it will be fine. My biggest piece of advice to you during this time is to utilize your resources. When I was in your place, my guidance counselor became my best friend. Don't assume that your guidance counselor is helpless just because they are not chasing you down every time you have a deadline coming up. It is your responsibility to go make an appointment to see them. Ask them for tips, seek help from them, and use them as a resource as much as you can. They are there to help, and they want to help. If you put in the effort, then so will they.
(The picture above is me and myhigh school guidance counselor, Greta Gauthier. She was a lifesaver for me in high school! Thanks, Mrs. Gauthier!!)
Your teachers can be a huge help during this process as well. If you are struggling to write your college essay, go visit an English teacher that you really liked. If you need letters of recommendation, seek out the opportunities to chat with old teachers and ask if they would be willing to write one for you. Your teachers have all been through the process before and they know what to expect, so ask them for help when you need it.
One of the best things I ever did when applying to college was to find every scholarship opportunity available to me. Your guidance office will probably have some applications, and you can also find a ton online. Print them out, organize them by due date, and just chip away at them over time. Start as early as possible, as some deadlines may be coming up in November or December, while others may not be due until April or May. Some of them require a little bit of work, and some require barely any. They are worth your time!
Okay, so now onto the fun stuff. Senior year is absolutely amazing, but only if you make it amazing. GET INVOLVED. I'm not talking about joining clubs, although that is great too. But participate in events at your school: dress up during spirit week, get in the yearbook, go to Friday night football games, and attend senior prom even if you don't have a date. Make your mark. This is the last time you will ever get to experience these things that you may have taken for granted over the past few years. Who cares if people judge you for participating in school-run events? In 9 months, you will be graduating and will never have to see these people ever again. Their judgements don't matter.
Depending on where you are headed after high school, this could be your last year in your hometown. This thought can be really heavy at times and may spark a little bit of anxiety, but it can also bring a lot of excitement to you. The best thing you can do is to spend as much time as possible with the people around you. If it's late at night and your friend asks you to go get ice cream or go for a drive, go. If your family wants to have a family game night or a family dinner, spend quality time with them. Don't spend too much time caught up in the stress of your future. You will figure all of that out. Don't miss an opportunity to hangout with your mom because you have too much homework. Missing one homework assignment won't matter to you next year when you're in your dorm room, but that extra time you spent with your friends/family will. (With that being said, don't get so caught up in your "senioritis" that you fail all of your classes. Find a balance.) Make the best of the time you have left in the town that you have known for so long with the people who have gotten you where you are today.
In a few short months, which will feel like five minutes, you will be sitting in cap and gown with all of the people you have grown up with. You will look around you and realize that this is it; you will all be going your separate ways and taking your own paths to your futures. Even if high school wasn't a great experience for you, this moment will still be surreal. I hope that when you are sitting waiting for your diploma, you have no regrets about how you spent your senior year. I hope you feel a tiny bit of nostalgia that makes it kind of hard to leave, because that means you were lucky enough to have something that makes saying goodbye difficult. And I hope you are excited for what is coming next for you; I hope you are ready for the beginning of the rest of your life. After all, your adventure is just about to start.
Sincerely,
A college freshman
