Senior year has been a kind of stress that nothing had really prepared me for. There are so many preparations and decisions to make all on my own. Navigating from childhood to adulthood is a big deal. So, I got some advice for underclassmen from current seniors (anonymously) to help change that narrative in future years.
As a high school senior, what advice do you have for underclassmen in general?
“Don’t procrastinate and stay out of drama.”
“Don’t take friendships too seriously, you’ll find the right people for you.”
“Don’t put too much pressure on your future, everything will work itself out.”
“Live life to the fullest, don’t let anxiety control you.”
“Kahn Academy will teach you any math subject better than a teacher.”
“Take a deep breath and get your work done as soon as possible. Don’t push it all to the end and rush, it won’t do you any good!”
“Try your best not to, but failing a class is not the end of the world. It may feel like it, but you just have to not let it define you and work to push past it. I failed a class sophomore year and was still able to get into all 5 colleges I applied to.”
“For the love of God and for the sake of not being stressed, do your homework, Study, pay attention!! Take school work seriously!!! Very quickly, will those grades matter. The idea of ‘Oh, I’ll copy my friend later and do this in class instead’ is not so helpful when you end up with a 75 in the class at the end of the quarter.”
“Lock in on your schoolwork and get it done. Procrastinating is just going to make you more stressed, even if you have a while before it’s due.”
“Do not worry about what people have to say about you. Life is short enough you don’t need to waste your time worrying about what people say that you probably will never see again after you graduate.”
Advice for juniors specifically?
“Don’t procrastinate on college applications and scholarships.”
“Do as many extra curricular activities that relate to what college and degree you want to get to put on applications.”
“It’s okay to change your after high school plans last minute.”
“Be ready for change, senior year changes a lot.”
“Take it seriously, take those hard classes and try your best. Your future self will thank you. Also participate with the school or volunteer! That’s where I had such good experiences.”
“This is your second to last year, it seems so close to freedom, but you don’t have to rush into knowing yet.”
“Do all of your college visits in the spring of or the summer after your junior year. Then, when you start applying, you’ve already visited your choices and don’t have to stress about that.”
“Get a list of colleges together, and take your SATS or/and ACTs this year. Outline your college essay as well, and start looking at scholarship opportunities.”
“Put a little bit of effort even when you don’t want to, it’s almost over.”
What’s something you wish you would’ve done before your senior year?
“Taken more chances”
“Toured more colleges”
“Got my permit, now I can’t drive until the summer.”
“I wish I took part in more things.”
“I wish I would’ve started brainstorming possible topics for my college essay.”
“Applied to more scholarships.”
‘Been more involved in Galway.”
What is something you wish you would have done differently during your senior year?
“Applied to more colleges”
“Put myself out there more for more opportunities”
“Taken more fun classes and art classes”
“I wish I took more time to really savor high school.”
“Not taken hard classes”
“Studied for pre-calc more”
If attending college, what is your college related advice?
“Dont stress about it too much, everything will be ok.”
“Apply early, visit the school’s open house or shadow a student.”
“Don’t always go for the best college academically, find one that fits your needs.”
“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, you may love a college and be 100% set until you see your other options.”
“Apply to scholarships and visit!!”
“Don’t have your heart set on a school until you’ve visited. The school that was originally my top choice dropped to the bottom of my list after I visited, and I ended up committing to a school I didn’t even know existed at this time last year.
“Fill out all applications for early decisions. Write your college essay over the summer. Be done with everything before the first day of school. I did not have to do anything college-related during the school year.”
“See if there’s any internships or work-study programs you can do with companies, etc.. that would help you pay for college. Internships will give you connections in your field of interest.”
