Dear Second Semester High School Senior,
You made it! You survived 3.5 years of high school! You will come to learn that the second half of your senior year will be difficult for many reasons. You have to apply and choose where you're going to go to college in the next year, decide if college is even for you, and get ready to move on to the next phase of your life.
The things that I learned in my second semester of my senior year are lessons and virtues that still apply to my life as a second-semester college freshman. So please allow me to pass on some words of wisdom;
Keep pushing yourself.
Things are going to be hard. It will be hard to drag yourself out of bed and go to school when you know you aren't doing anything super important. It will be hard to study for the last AP or IB test that you will ever take this coming May. It will be hard to find motivation in general. Amongst all the struggle, find the thing that makes you want to do better. For me, it was my best friend and a kickass playlist. Find people that will motivate you or complain with you. Either way, you'll suffer together.
Study hard.
At this point, you may think that grades don't matter anymore because you got accepted into the school of your dreams and have paid your deposit to save your spot. Let me tell you... You couldn't be any more wrong. If anything, this is the most important time for you to academically shine. Remember, colleges keep tabs on your progress throughout senior year and they are not afraid to take away your acceptance. So please, stay enrolled in school and try hard. If you're taking any AP or IB classes, try your absolute hardest in your final exams. Be more prepared than you need to be by studying more than you think that you need to. In the end, the college credit you earn can put you ahead in the academic game and save you a few thousand dollars. Because I pushed myself and got the credit from performing well on my exams, I now have enough credit to graduate early with my Bachelor's degree. Please save yourself the time and money and do well.
Thank your teachers.
Ultimately, your interactions with your mentors influence you to be the person you are as of right now. The people teaching you new lessons, concepts, virtues, and fun facts are the people who you will remember for the rest of your life. Thank them for giving their time to benefit you, putting up with student's shenanigans, and being your teacher. Even the one teacher who you despise. Thank them. They will appreciate it.
Your decision will make itself clear.
If you were anything like me, figuring out which school is perfect for you is going to be difficult. The school that has all the bells and whistles you are looking for may be WAY out of your price range. The school you had your heart set on going to may not have accepted your application. The school you thought you were born to attend may not be your perfect match. My top choice school accepted me, had all the fancy bells and whistles, was located in a gorgeous area, and on top it all, they recruited me to play NCAA lacrosse. In the end, after many, many, many hours of number crunching and weighing out options, I came to the conclusion that that school wasn't a possibility for me. In the end, I chose to go to a school that caught me by surprise. Each and every day I think about the big "What if?" question; What if I ended up going to school at my top choice? I wouldn't have met the amazing people that I'm lucky enough to call my friends, experience the city and what it has to offer or be the person I am today. My point here is that if your plan A doesn't work out, don't sweat it. Plan B might be your destiny.
Make it all about you.
This final stretch is all about you. Who cares what others think of your final actions in high school? Don't take into consideration the thoughts of people who didn't give you the time of day at any other point in your high school career. If you know of unsupportive figures in your life, cut them out. Don't listen to people who are only there to drag you down. Disregard your significant others' opinion on what your next chapter should look like because it's not about the both of you.
It's only about you. While your parents may not fully support your choice in what you will go forward to study, try to ignore the snarky comments. It's hard, but in the end, if it's something you really want to do, do it. Don't follow your best friend to a school they want to go to just so the chances of your friendship being easier to maintain are possible. If you are really that good of friends, the relationship will last regardless of the miles that will lie between you. Just invest your final months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, and seconds to the people who invested their time in you.
With that being said, do what you will with my advice. If you choose to take it into consideration, thank you. If you choose to ignore it, please know that I wish someone had told me these things before I started my senior year. I needed someone to tell me to make these final days all about you because you deserve it. I needed to be told to be selfish, independent, and studious. To be my true self. Don't be afraid of your true colors to show. With that being said, let your colors fly on your freak flag. Make your school embrace your weirdness, quirkiness, and everything that makes you you.
Sincerely,
A Caring Second Semester College Freshman