Senior Year Survival Guide

How to survive your senior year of high school without too much hassle.

Senior Year Survival Guide

By: Kickass Senior Graduate, Jade M.

 

How to read:

Blue	Advice/helpful reminders
Red	Fun Facts
Highlighted	Important
Pink	Don’t question my judgement

 

1.   Find your “people” �" Don’t try to be excessively popular. Be the person you want to be, and not what everyone else wants you to be. Have trustworthy friends that won’t create drama, because drama is one of the biggest factors in whether you’ll have a great senior year.

2.   Sleep �" YOU MUST HAVE AN ESTABLISHED BEDTIME. AND IT MUST BE BEFORE 2:30 IN THE MORNING. OR ELSE YOU WILL NOT MAINTAIN YOUR GPA AND BE ABLE TO APPLY FOR COLLEGE AND SCHOLARSHIPS. YOU HAVE TO HAVE TO HAVE TO HAVE SOME OUTSIDE CONTACT AND NOT SLEEPING IS NOT THE WAY TO DO IT. Get some sleep, or you’ll regret it forever.

3.   You don’t need to know what you want to be when you grow up �" Trust me, you probably won’t know until you start college. When someone (i.e. parent, grandparent, family friend, random lady off the street who hears you’re a senior) asks you what you want to be when you grow up, an acceptable answer would be: “Kick a*s”, “Rule the world”, or my all time favourite “Make money and get b*****s.” But, if you do know what you want to do, great! Just don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do it. I had a friend who wanted to be an artist, then her teacher told her that artists don’t make enough money to support a family, so now she’s in pre-med, and she hates it and herself.

4.   Take the SAT and ACT more than once if you can afford it �" I got lucky with really good scores on my first time taking them both. Not everyone is that lucky. Prepare to take them more than once. Just don’t be too upset if you hear someone else got a higher score than you. It’s okay. And, by the way, it’s not hard to get good scores on both these tests. It’s common knowledge.

5.   The “best college in the world” doesn’t exist �" No one knows the right college for you. Not even you! You may get to the college you chose and hate it. But you may also love it.

6.   For f**k’s sake, visit the damn colleges you apply to �" This relates to the previous question. VISIT. YOUR. TOP. COLLEGES. Even if you can only visit one or two, that’s okay. You need to get an idea of where you’re going to be, especially if it’s in a different state (or country). When you’re there, talk to the teachers and counsellors and all those hacks, but MAKE SURE you talk to the students. They know the most about how much you’re going to like the college. They aren’t you, so you can’t know for sure, but take what they say into consideration, because it’s hella good advice. When you visit the schools, make sure you have your questions about the school prepared beforehand. Those college people love a prepared person with a shitload of questions. Don’t be afraid if you don’t like any of the schools you visited, though, you will adapt. It’s a college student’s greatest achievement.

7.   File your FAFSA �" This is the most important part of your college application and it isn’t even a part of the application. It’s long, it’s terribly long. It sucks balls (and not in the good way). Have your parents help you, and it’ll go along much smoother.

8.   Make an effort to get closer to your parents �" Cheesy, but important. They care for you so much, and they are going to miss you when you’re gone *ahahahahaha Cup Song joke*

9.   Learn to do things that will help you in college �" LEARN HOW TO USE A WASHING MACHINE, AND HOW TO COOK RAMEN, AND HOW TO MAKE STUFF WITH A MICROWAVE, AND HOW TO CLEAN UP AFTER YOURSELF, ETC. That’s all the advice I can give you but I s2g if you don’t learn this sort of stuff you will not survive college.

10.               Even when you’re knee deep in college applications, make time to see your friends �" They will keep you sane. Go out to eat (or get takeout, it’s basically the same thing), go to the movies for a break from applications, go bowling, whatever seems fun to you. You will appreciate the break, and you get to b***h about college applications with people who understand what you’re going through because they’re going through the exact same thing.

11.                 Nothing ever goes according to plan �" You may love planning every step you take, but sometimes something will happen that will throw literally everything out of whack. That would be the time to take that break I was talking about.

12.                 Whenever you can, start early �" As Malcolm X once said, “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.”

13.                 Focus on learning, not memorizing �" Unless you’re in IB Biology, memorizing is not your friend. Don’t get yourself more caught up in maintaining good grades than learning the subjects. I know the need to get good grades is overwhelming, I know you want to prove that you’re trying with that grade, but don’t give in to that pressure. Don’t just pass the class, acquire the knowledge.

14.                 Take a f*****g deep breath �" Step back from whatever you’re working on if you start to feel overwhelmed. Forget about the homework, the exams, the plans, the need to get into a good college, and do something else. Take a mental health day, join a club, take a nap (TAKE A NAP, I must repeat because naps are important). {Some quick nap facts! A 10-20 minute nap will boost alertness if you’re succumbing to sleep whilst studying and you don’t have time for a longer nap. A 60-minute nap will help cognitive memory processing, like remembering facts, or places, but a downside is feeling groggy when you wake up. A 90-minute nap will involve a full cycle of sleep. This nap is optimal.} You can even go to a party or two! Partying takes your mind away from the stress of the work you have to do. There will be tears, you will throw a few things, it’s natural. Just breathe.

15.                 Make a senior bucket list �" Drink until you pass out, take drugs (or don’t), get immersed in something that you gain knowledge from but isn’t school-related, go to a concert or two, experience something you’ve never experienced (sky-diving), get a pastry, go to another country for winter/spring break, have sex, etc. (Disclaimer: It is also nice to have a job.) 

16.                 Don’t freak out �" Self-explanatory.

17.                 Don’t just look forward to graduation and stop there �" Look forward to anything and everything that will happen after you graduate (like summer). But don’t dwell on it too much, because senioritis is real and it starts to happen in the summer BEFORE you become a senior.

18.                 No college �" It’s perfectly acceptable to not go to college as soon as you get out of high school. You can take a gap year, work, plan for the future, and save money!

19.                 STAY FIT �" The dreaded freshman 15 is just around the corner. Try to fit in some exercise. Fun fact: 7000 jumping jacks burn off an entire pound. Just don’t do them all at once.

20.                 Loans �" The dreaded word you’re going to hear for the rest of your life. You can try to avoid them, but they’ll always be there. Apply for a lot of scholarships so you can try to get away from them.

21.                 College essays are scary but you can’t avoid them �" Colleges want to see two things: 1. The ability to write coherently and use proper punctuation and 2. Passion. If what you say isn’t genuine, it will crash and burn. Make it beautiful, but also simple.

22.                 College-search crises �" You will have them. A lot of them. You may want to go to one part of the country for the longest time, then you realize that’s not what you want and you completely change your mind. It’s okay. It’s completely natural. Have an open mind to all schools you look at.

a.   Some tips for choosing a college:

1.   Decide what type of postsecondary school you want to go to:

a.    Public Schools �"

-      There are 4-year public schools, and 2-year public schools (as in community colleges). Most are 4-year. 4-year colleges may also offer master’s, doctoral, and professional degrees.

b.   Independent/Private Schools �" There are 4-year and 2-year private schools. They offer the same as public schools, but are privately funded.

2.   Graduation and retention rates: these are important cause wow what if a bunch of people actually don’t graduate from the college I want to go to?

3.   School and class size: if you’re used to a smaller class size, you may want to stay in that ballpark. Unless you want to upgrade to lots of hot people, cause that’s fun. In that case, a medium or large school may be good for you.

4.   Distance from home: If you like being near things you’re familiar with, going to a school near home might be good for you. But, if you want to be adventurous and explore the rest of the world, go for a school away from home. Even if it’s just the next state over, that’s okay.

5.   Majors: IMPORTANT. If the college doesn’t have the major you want, you may want to consider other colleges. Or maybe even majors that deal closely with what you want to study.

6.   Campus environment: A toxic campus environment does not a happy college student make. Research what the campus is like before you consider the school.

7.   Housing: You want to be safe on a college campus, and having safe housing is a huge part of that. Plus, you DO NOT want communal bathrooms. Trust me.

8. Social activities and clubs: College is an academic place, but joining clubs and engaging in activities is a HUGE part of the college experience. College websites will have lists of what clubs/activities are available.

9.   Admission criteria: This is a REALLY BIG part of applying for a college. If you don’t meet more than two of their criteria, they won’t even consider your application (this is where good scores on the SAT/ACT come in).

10. Cost and Financial aid: THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT THINGS EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER. You do not want to be spending money on loans for the rest of your life. You’re going to spend money on them regardless, but you don’t want to spend money on them forever. Apply for outside scholarships, and get good grades in your first semester so you get merit scholarships at the schools you apply to.

 

Here is a senior year college-planning calendar!

 Summer-August

-    Get a summer job! It doesn’t particularly matter what you do, you just want to have some money in your pocket just in case.

-    Start to think about what career you might want to go into, and decide which type of college you want to go to (See #22 - #1 in my list).

-    Start to look into colleges. There are thousands so it’s okay if it takes time!

-    Around this time you’ll start to receive mail from different colleges. Read them all, you never know what you might find.

-    Start to ask for/collect letters of recommendation from your teachers to help with applications.

-    Stay focused on getting good grades. It sucks to have to get good grades and do all this s**t, but it’s worth it.

-    Register for the October SAT and ACT.

September

-    Mark your calendar with important dates (like due dates for big projects, IAs, EE due dates, etc.) This will help you stay organized and increase your time management for school.

-    If you didn’t register for the October SAT and ACT, do it at the beginning of September.

-    If there are college representatives visiting the school, go see them! The meetings are informative.

-    Start looking at colleges a little more in depth. Visit their websites, because that is the number one place to find information.

-    If you find some colleges that you like, see if they’re on the commonapp, because they might be, and that means the application is free!

-    If there are colleges with early admission dates, start those applications! (the due dates for the applications are on commonapp, so that’s a good way to know)

-    Have at least fifteen colleges on your mind at first. The more the better.

October

-    Go to the Homecoming football game and dance! (don’t you dare skimp out on this one, it’s the most fun) BRING A DATE

-    Take the October SAT and ACT.

-    Start to apply for the colleges you’ve found to be the most interesting/best for you.

-    If you haven’t already, attend college planning or college fairs.

-    Start looking for scholarships! They are super important, and usually extremely easy to fill out.

November

-    Start to complete your applications. It’s better to be done early because then you can focus on your studies more. Request your transcripts from your school counsellor.

-    If you have to, register to retake the SAT and ACT.

-    Stay focused on maintaining (or even increasing) your GPA. Colleges will look at the midterm grades.

December

-    Start to fill out what you can on your FAFSA. You won’t be able to submit it until January 1^st, but it’s better to have as much done as you can before then.

-    Finalize at least 80% of your applications.

January

-    January 1^st �" FAFSA time, b*****s

February

-    Be mindful of deadlines. Make sure you’ve finished all the ones that are due.

-    Watch for the email that your Student Aid Report (SAR) is ready, which comes three-four weeks after your FAFSA has been fully submitted. Review it for errors that you can amend on the FAFSA website.

-    Rank your top five schools.

March

-    Narrow down your school choices and start to visit the schools.

-    Be on the lookout for acceptances to the schools you applied for.

-    Start to look for summer jobs.

-    Start to study for your final exams now.

April

-    Attend prom! BRING A DATE

-    This is the month when many of the financial aid award letters start to get mailed. Compare them all, but remember! You don’t have to choose the school that gave you the most money.

-    Make your final school decision around the 20^th of April, this gives you plenty of time to mail it in and be completely sure of your choice.

-    Send in your acceptance of scholarships/loans.

-    Notify all schools you’ve chosen NOT to attend.

-    Plan for summer registration, orientation, and housing. Put the dates on your calendar!

May

-    DON’T BE AFRAID OF YOUR FINAL EXAMS. They aren’t as hard as the teachers make them seem.

-                                   Be aware of summer orientation dates.

-                                   Finalize your summer job plans.

-    Follow up with your high school counsellor about final transcripts.

-    Buy a cute dress for graduation!

June

-    You’re out of school, hurrah!

-    Start packing. Visit The Container Store for all your containing needs. They will have you pick up your stuff at the store in the town where your college is. As does Bed, Bath, & Beyond.

 

NUMBER ONE REMINDER �" YOU CAN APPLY TO SCHOOLS THAT HAVE ROLLING ADMISSION WHENEVER THE HECK YOU WANT.

ALSO A REMINDER �" you can denied from some of the schools you apply to. It’s okay. Just apply to others.

 

Scholarships �" There will be others that a college cousellor gives you but here are a few �"

-               Fastweb Scholarships

-               Cappex

-               Scholarships.com

-               Niche Scholarships

-               Gotchosen

 

 

 

 

Reviews

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