Senior Year: A Survival Guide
Congrats on finishing the school year! Here is a parting gift from me on behalf of all the seniors: five tips for having the best possible experience in your senior year of high school.
1. Learn to have internal motivation. Do things out of genuine interest, passion, or a feeling of duty, not because of college applications or parents. Senior year will leave you lacking in external motivation, so be prepared to substitute new ways of staying motivated. Think about your long-lost hobbies, favorite school subjects, personal projects, or maintaining a decent sleep and workout schedule: the possibilities are endless!
2. Choose the college and major YOU want. Likely, your parents, your friends, or even your own conscience will pressure you, especially to go to the most prestigious college you’re accepted into. But there is more to life than that. A better mindset is to go for the college you think will offer you the widest range of opportunities: opportunities to enjoy doing your favorite subject/sport, learning opportunities, job opportunities, social opportunities, opportunities to meet diverse people/ideas, etc. It’s natural to prioritize once you have opportunities, but pursuing opportunities that don’t yet exist is difficult.
3. Touch grass and hug your friends. You only have a few months left at MHS with all your friends. Invest that time in making lasting memories. Be brave and hug a friend you’ve never hugged before. Invite your friends to meet in person, rather than just texting online. Go to homecoming, even if you don’t like music. Go to prom, Trojan Olympics, the senior picnic, senior field trip …senior ditch day… and anything else.
4. Plan college stuff early. Make spreadsheets of colleges. If you need teacher recommendations, ask your teachers early (summer/early fall). Become best friends with your counselor (shoutout to Ms. Cler!!); ask them about MHS counseling’s sample college information organizer spreadsheet. You will have about 15 college portals, so organization is key.
5. Become independent. Start thinking about how you would do things if you were completely on your own—do you know how to get food? Do you know how to do basic household chores? Do you know how to manage finances? If not, start now! Set boundaries with your parents.
Most importantly, don’t stress. Senior year will still have stressors; wait to start your victory lap until you’re a few months closer to graduation than you are now. But everything will happen in due time. As Mr. Cummins (AP Gov teacher) says, you will go to the college you were destined for. Work hard, have fun. <3
See you around sometime! All the best,
Isaac Jones, Class of 2024