(Don’t count the days, make the days count) Dear high school senior,
It’s going to be one of the fastest, yet seemingly longest years of your life. Before you know it, you’ll be walking across that stage in a cap and gown, saying goodbye to friends, and caught up in the end-of-year frenzy that gradually melts into summer. I know you’re probably dying to get out of high school, but enjoy this year. I can’t stress this enough. Although there are a lot of tiring things you will have to grind through: college apps, high school drama, standardized testing, trying to pull up those last semester grades… There are also so many things to look forward to: Prom, college acceptances, senior events, watching High School Musical and laughing at how accurate yet inaccurate the movie is. The point is, it’s going to be a unique year in your life. Here are some things I wish I’d known before embarking on my senior year. A Couple Words About Senioritis Though scientists have still not been able to provide statistical evidence for my claims, let me tell you something: SENIORTIS IS REAL. Be aware of it and be prepared to deal with it. When you have 20 things to do by tomorrow, choose to go watch a movie, and then have a mini panic attack at 1AM… Do what you can, get some sleep, and take a sigh of relief because, guess what, you’re a normal human being. However, you can do some things to lessen the symptoms: know what helps you with avoiding procrastination, make a to do list daily, put up post-it notes of deadlines you can't afford to miss. If you struggle with wasting time on the Internet (ahem Facebook), get a website lock, which locks you out of certain websites for a set amount of time. I recommend the app SelfControl available on the app store for Macs. (Which has been a real life saver for a routine procrastinator like me.) Pace Yourself To Prevent Burn out Senior year is a really exciting time, but things can get a little crazy pretty fast. Sometimes, you simply run out of fuel. Between preparing to leave home, finishing those last minute assignments, and making sure things are in place for graduation, you can get really really exhausted. So keep your physical and mental health in mind. Whether that means letting yourself unwind after a long day, or ranting to your best friend, take care of yourself. It’s okay to not be okay Don’t worry if you have moments where you are convinced your entire life is a mess. Maybe you didn’t get into the college you wanted to, or maybe you winning team lost the most important game of the season. There’s bound to be some days when nothing makes sense anymore. It happens to the best of us and we can either let it destroy us or teach us. Things will fall into place when the time comes. Time Flies There’s going to be a lot of lasts. Your last football game, your last band concert, your last Monday morning chemistry class. And with each one of those lasts, the fact that your high school days are drawing to a close will start to hit you. It’s a weird feeling. One day, you may be in class, look around, and be struck with the sudden realization that you probably won’t see the majority of these people in a couple months. You’ve been waiting to get out of high school since freshman year, but now you’re wistfully remembering all the great times you’ve had. And suddenly you’ll want to go back in time to relive some of those cherished memories. But we all know that change is a part of life and sometimes a new chapter is inevitable. We all have different ways of dealing with change. Some people just get really sentimental and cry all the time, others start acting moodier and claim that they’re really not that sad. As graduation nears, a lot of tears will be shed, your parents will start acting weird (they’re really just trying to cover for the fact that they’ll miss you), and those sudden realizations may scare you a bit. You might doubt the solidity of your post high school plans, or have anxiety about living on your own when you don’t even know how to do laundry yet. Just remember to approach this new beginning with excitement (Hello, freedom), but don’t be afraid to let yourself get a little sentimental in the process. Say Thank You We all have people who have made a difference in our lives: Parents, teachers, friends, etc. Especially during your last year of high school, there will be a lot of people who will support and help you through everything from financial aid applications to finding that perfect prom dress. Take time to thank them. Thank your parents, even when they drive you up the wall. Thank your teachers for putting up with your senioritis. Thank your guidance counselor for helping you apply to college, and thank your friends for being there for you when you needed it the most. You might not see these people you love much in a couple months, and a little thank you goes a long way. Graduation! And when graduation day finally comes, enjoy it for yourself because you deserve it. Forget about the high school drama and let go of any regrets you have. Don’t categorize your experiences through other people's experiences. Those 2+ hours spent at graduation are your 2+ hours, because you are the only person who knows exactly what you went through to get to graduation: The challenges overcome, the friendships mended, the impossible decisions, the heartbreak you never really got over, the personal achievements, and the small but significant steps you took every day to become the person you are. Whatever your experience may be, cherish the good, let go of the bad, and smile proudly for all the pictures of you and your diploma. You made it. Senior year can be a drag, or the best year of your life; it’s really what you make it. Make it a year that you can look back and say, “The tassel was worth the hassle.”
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About MeThanks for visiting my blog! My name is Megan, I work in Marketing and I graduated as part of Minerva's class of 2021. Enjoy a collage of reflections, poetry, and late-night thoughts. Archives
October 2023
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