If you're about to be a senior I know how stressed you must feel. Not only do you have to start another new school year you also need to start really thinking about your future. As scary as that might seem, it's such an amazing and fulfilling moment in your life! You finally get to see all the hard work pay off. Here are some tips that I used to have a (somewhat) stress-free beginning of your senior year.
1. Start crackin’ the books early
As much as we want to forget about school and focus on the summer; reality will bite you in the ass a week before you have school and you'll still have summer work to do. If you're anything like me I used to procrastinate and put off my assignments until the night before they were due. After I realized I really wanted to work hard my senior year I decided to take initiative and plan all my summer assignments and give myself mini-deadlines. By doing this I wasn't overwhelmed with all the work I had from all my AP classes, and I still managed to have a fun summer and get good grades on those assignments.
2. Start making a list of all the colleges you want to apply to
As scary and intimidating the college process seems if you approach it ahead of the game, it really wasn't all that terrible. Around August, I made my final list of all the schools I wanted to apply to. I still had to visit a couple more schools, but I had a pretty good list of safeties, targets, and reach schools that I really liked. Having this list before you start school gives you the opportunity to start applying early and finding out before most people in your class do.
3. Shop til’ you drop
I'm not joking...gaining confidence through clothes is the easiest way to express yourself and your personality. I made sure I got really cute dresses, skirts, tops, and shoes before I started senior year so I could feel like a million bucks in the halls even when I wanted to be sleeping in and watching Netflix. Unfortunately, if you don't have an option to wear what you want to find some cute accent pieces that will make you stand out and look somewhat different from everybody else.
4. Start filling out your Common/Coalition Application as soon as it comes out
Before you complete this tip make sure you have two or more schools on Common App, Coalition, or any other website that has a general application for a wide range of schools. For me, four out of the six schools I was applying to were on Common App so I made sure that I filled out everything that I knew to my knowledge on the application. By doing this I was ahead compared to my peers and I was able to focus on more important things, and I finished applying to schools well before my classmates.
Don't worry about the things you don't know because your guidance counselor will help you finish up your application to make sure it represents you and your high school to the fullest.
5. Make a bucket list off all the things you want to do before your senior year ends
Senior year is known to be the year of the lasts, and personally, for me, I wasn't ready at the time to accept it. Before I walked into school on the last first day of high school I made sure I wrote ten things I wanted to do before I graduated high school. Having this list gave me a reminder about how fast life flies by, and sooner or later I was about to start my first year of college. I completed my bucket list and I could not be any happier than I am currently about how my senior year went. I made distinguished honors all four marking periods, I moved my GPA from a 3.4 to a 3.6, I got into my dream school, I received local scholarships and awards from my school and community, and so much more. Without making this list I don't think I would have achieved as much as I did.
So to any incoming seniors, this year, make sure you appreciate everything that senior year has to offer because time will fly by and sooner or later you'll be crossing the stage and getting your diploma.