According to the girls I used to nanny, I was considered “old” as soon as I turned 20. But now that the oldest of these girls is starting her senior year, it made me think of all of the things I wish I would have known during my final year of school. Although I have been our of High School for six years, I still remember what it was like to be a Senior. So before you embark on the journey of your final year as a high schooler, here are a few pieces of advice this “old lady” has to offer

1. High School is nowhere near the best days of your life

I don’t mean this in a negative way, but your adventure is just getting started. While you want to hang on to every single minute of your last year, know that you have so much life ahead of you to start living. College is a brand new start and although you won’t be with your friends everyday, you meet so many new people. They do not replace the friendships you made in high school, instead they add so much more to your life. The Girl Scouts put it best; “Make new friends but keep the old.”

2. When you are picking which college you want to go to, choose it for YOU not anyone else

It may be tempting to follow your friends and/or boyfriend, but if that’s the only reason you are choosing the college you could end up regretting it. If the school you really love is the same as they choose, then that is just an added perk. This place is where you are going to spend the next 4+ years of your life. You want it to be a place that you enjoy where you are going to get the most out of your education.

3. APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIPS

I cannot stress this one enough. They literally have scholarships for everything. Even if they are small ones, still apply. Any amount helps, especially once you find out the prices of the books you will need. Here are two websites you can look on:

Scholarships By Grade Level

Scholarships For Highschool Seniors

Trust me, you will thank me for this in the end.

4. Once you have chosen which school you want to go to, start looking at everything they have to offer

There are so many extra-curricular activities, rec sports teams, gym classes, etc. that your school will have to offer. If you know what you want to major in, look at what different clubs/associations/society’s that are associated with it. Loved writing for your high school newspaper? Join your college newspaper! Want to get into Greek Life? Look at what sororities/fraternities are on campus and get to know about each of them. Even the most random hobbies have some sort of organization you can join (I’m looking at you Hammock Initiative). Seeing all the different things your school has to offer can make you feel so much better about meeting new people

5. Don’t sweat it if you don’t know what you want to major in

I think in my 4 years as a student I switched my major 8 times (I actually had to write out a list of them, those are just the 8 I remember). Even though I was deadest on what I wanted to be going into college, the more general education classes I took the more things I learned I was interested in. So whether you know what you want to do or not, keep an open mind. There is no problem with going into college not knowing your major. Within the gen-eds and electives, you will find your passion.

6. Teach yourself new study skills

Going into college I thought I had the best study skills. In reality, all I had to do in high school was look at my notes the night before and I would be fine. College is in no way, like high school classes. You are going to need to study your butt off. Using your high school classes to learn new studying techniques will help you immensely in college.

7. Start saving up money

Although it is unavoidable for some people, getting a job during your first year of college just makes things that much harder. Start saving up money and slowly build a savings account so you don’t have to worry about money for at least the first few months. If you do need a job to help you get by, (which is what I did) go through your school's employment opportunities. Because it is the college itself employing you, they understand how busy a student’s life can be. You also may qualify for work study, which is a life saver.

8. Spend as much time as you can with your family

I know in high school sometimes the last thing you want to do is sit at home with your family on a Saturday night. But once you leave, you realize just how much you miss seeing these people on a daily basis. Drop in on your grandparents if they live close to you, spend the day with your siblings, have a spa day with mom, go fishing with dad; whatever it is just make sure you spend time with them. You really don’t know how much you miss them until you’re gone.

9. Join your schools “Class of 2020” college freshman page

To be honest, I don’t know if this is actually still a thing, but I sure hope it is. I met many people who were not only going to be freshman with me, but as we found out dorm assignments I go to know who was in my hall. We got to get to know each other, and I even made a few friends before actually going up to school.

10. Lastly, enjoy every minute of your Senior Year

As I stated earlier, although it may not be “the best years of your life”, your final year of High School is definitely one to remember. Go to the football/hockey/basketball games. Go to all the dances, even if you don’t want to go with a “date” ask a good friend and go as friends. Do all the things you wanted to do in High School but were too afraid to do. Try out for the school’s play, join a sports team for fun, whatever it is, just do it. You will never get the chance to be a high school senior again (well… lets hope not) so do all the things you have been scared to do. Talk to people you have always wanted to get to know. In a year you may not see these people ever again, so just live life to the fullest and love every second of it.