With the school year entering full swing, I am declassifying some of the most important senior year tips to help you excel in sports, take on the college application, become a better friend and discover your passions.
By the time senior year rolls around, many students have determined the friends that mean the most to them. Here is how you should treat those people with the finite time you have left:
“I have begun to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I think that everyone is getting a little sick of each other by now. My friend group is going through that and I think others are too. At this point, there is no reason to try to be friends with everyone. Instead, I think it is better to prioritize who really matters to you in these last few months. If someone doesn’t matter in your life, you don’t need to focus on them.”- Luke Brand, Class of 2016
“In your senior year, I think you realize that you have such a short time left so you want to make the best out of it. So my advice is to really focus on the people you really care about and be a better friend to those people. If I am fighting with someone, I will be like this is just stupid because in the grand scheme, it doesn’t really matter.” – Amanda Dobbin, Class of 2016
As application deadlines creep up, many students race to finish their college essays that they have dreaded for so long. In addition, most students shudder at the prospect of being rejected by their top schools. Here is why you should fear neither:
“Remember that the average time spent by a college admissions officer on a college application is probably less than fifteen minutes and their decision is not a reflection of your worth as human being. There is also a tendency for people to become deeply invested in the school of their choice and then when it does not work out, they feel like their future has been jeopardized. In reality, there are probably 50 schools out there that would be a great fit for you, where you could thrive and get an outstanding education.” – Stephen Vehslage
“I wouldn’t think you know everything about yourself when you approach the essays. I’ve honestly found out more about myself just by writing the essays. Try to start with what you know and then discover what you don’t know.” – Miles Turpin, Class of 2016
In senior year, there are two completely different types of players that exist- those that have worked as hard as they could for a role on varsity and those that inhibit the success of the team. Here’s what it feels like to be the former and what it looks like to be the latter:
“It’s been a struggle to get to the point that I am at now. It was discouraging watching all my friends get moved up while I stayed behind on the JV team, but I began to work really hard. Although I don’t play a lot, I feel like I belong on the varsity team in terms of the skills I once lacked.” – Daniel Kushner, Class of 2016
“I think that sometimes when seniors wanted to be captains but were not chosen, they do everything in spite of the captains, undermining the things a captain does or says. For a team with a large amount of seniors, it’s difficult for all of them to respect the team and their goals.” – Meghan Egan, Class of 2016
During senior year, many students have a lot more time to focus on the things they are truly passionate about. Instead of going out to party, here is how you can focus that time to plan for the future:
“The second semester of senior year is the first time you get to look into what you might like to do so you can choose your classes more specifically than you ever did before. For me, that meant dropping spanish to take two maths and two social studies classes because I care a lot more about those subjects and might make a career or major choice based on how much I like those classes.” – Lizzie Kaliff, Class of 2016
“Senior year is a good time to explore the things you like so that it’s easier to figure out what classes you might want to take in college. It’s also good opportunity to figure out what you’re going to be interested in doing with all of your free time in college and beyond.” – Miles Turpin, Class of 2016
