Class of 2018, you've spent twelve years in grade school and now the end is finally in sight. These are exciting times, but the fact that high school is almost over can be scary. The final semester of senior year is your last chance to get the stuff done you've been meaning to do for four years now, but it's also the time to start preparing for all the new opportunities to come. Here are 18 tips for the class of 2018 in their final semester:
1. Spend time with your family.
Even if you’re going to be a commute to school, even if you're not going to college, you’re entering a whole new world after graduation and your family is about to become a much smaller part of your life. Enjoy the last few months of closeness with your family. The eagerness to spread your wings and go out on your own will fade sooner rather than later, and you’ll miss the familiarity of home and the people that raised you.
2. Spend time with your friends.
I’m sure you’ve heard this before: most of your friends in high school will not stay your friends after graduation. There will be some, but most of these relationships are only held together by the fact that you've spent nearly eight hours a day, nine months out of the year, for the past four years with them. Some people will stay your friends for a long time to come, but most of them won't, so enjoy what you have while you still have it.
3. But learn to be happy on your own.
Even if you go to college in your hometown or join a bunch of clubs as soon as you get there, you might be lonely. The days of being surrounded by the same people for hours on end are over, so learn to be happy in your own company.
4. Apply for ALL the scholarships.
Even the $50 ones! Every penny counts when it comes to college. Even if you don't think you’ll get it or the scholarship is a little local one that doesn't pay very much, go ahead and apply. Scholarships are only awarded to the folks who actually apply for them, so take a chance and submit your best applications. Odds are, your hard work will pay off at least a little bit.
5. Get letters of recommendation.
Those will come in handy when applying for the aforementioned scholarships, honors college, and registering for Greek recruitment. Ask for these letters ASAP, so the people you ask them for won't be rushed and you’ll have plenty of time to mail them off once you get them.
6. Reconnect with friends who are already in college.
People who are currently in college give the best advice about college. Also, most people who are in college love to talk about college. Feel free to slide into your friend who graduated last year’s DMs and (nicely!) ask her all your questions about which hall is the best to live in and what she thinks about Professor So-And-So.
7. Start saving your money.
I repeat: between meals, clothes, books, dorm stuff, tuition, and a whole slew of other unforeseen things, college costs a lot, even with all the great scholarships you’re going to apply for. Start saving now, so by the time you get there you’ll hopefully have some money tucked away for all the rainy day expenses that will inevitably come you're way while you’re at school.
8. Learn to cook.
The food at college is great . . . until it isn’t. Believe it or not, Chick-fil-a will get old eventually, and it isn’t good for your health either. The Freshman 15 is a very real thing, so learn how to whip something up now while you have your mom or dad to help you out in the kitchen instead relying on YouTube to guide you once you’re already packed up and moved out.
9. Get prepared to walk a ton.
Even if you’re bringing a car to college, you’re about to be doing a whole lot of walking. If you aren’t already someone who’s built up a lot of stamina, try to start acclimating yourself to a reality where your own two feet are your primary source of transportation.
10. Apply for housing.
Do this early. You’ll get emails about it, and you’ll be tempted to procrastinate, but force yourself to apply early. On every campus, there is a dorm everyone wants to live in and a dorm no one wants to live in. Most colleges assign housing on a first-come-first-served basis. Don’t be one of the people who wait until the last minute to apply. It’ll be one less thing to stress about, and you’ll be more likely to get assigned the residence hall of your choice.
11. Find a roommate.
People have mixed feeling about this. Some folks got a random roommate and ended up loving their roommate, but there are also cases of incompatible people being put together because neither had a roommate preference. Most schools now have some kind of roommate-finder app, so take advantages of those. Your roommate doesn’t have to be your best friend, but college will be way more enjoyable if you at least get along with the person you live with.
12. Don’t do anything stupid.
We’ve all heard the story about the person who had everything going for them but then ruined all their prospects at the last minute. Resist the temptation to do irresponsible. Your acceptance into college, your program, and all your scholarships can be revoked, so don’t put your future in jeopardy by making a dumb choice.
13. Start studying now.
Once you get registered for classes, read the class syllabus. If your professor hasn’t posted one yet, try to find your professor’s old syllabi. No one will expect you to show up on the first day with a semester’s worth of material already reviewed and memorized, but it wouldn’t hurt to start skimming the book you’re going to have to read for the term or to read up a little bit about the content the course covers in the first couple chapters. Also, this is a great way to see if you even want to take the professor's class. Russian 101 might have sounded like a fun class to take for the language requirement when you registered at orientation, but a quick glance at the coursework might make you feel differently.
14. Work hard your last semester.
It’s your last semester in high school and the end is in sight, but don’t quit working hard just yet. Colleges will ask for a final transcript, so they will know if you slacked off and your grades dropped dramatically the last semester of high school. Power through these last couple months. It’ll be worth it.
15. Take pictures.
A picture is worth a thousand words, even if your time in high school was subpar. Make sure to take lots of pictures, so you’ll have something to look back at someday and remind yourself of the fun night out you had with your friends or how good you looked on prom night.16. Cut out toxic relationships.
It's your final semester in high school, so don't waste it on people who bring you down. Try to elevate the last of your time in grade school by surrounding yourself with people who make you happy.
17. Talk to your friend-crushes.
It may be late in the game, but it's never too late to make a friend. That girl who posts cool abstract art on Insta, that guy you always had neat things to say during group discussions — talk to them! This might be your last opportunity to let the people you’ve admired from afar know how you feel about who they are and what they do. Who knows? Your last minute friendships might be the ones you carry with you after graduation.
18. Have fun!
You're only a high school senior once — make sure you enjoy it. High school is by no means the end-all-be-all of your time spent on Earth, but it is a unique chapter in your life. Make the most of it while you've got the chance because no matter how much you hated high school, you just might miss it when you're gone.
