As a current senior in my last semester, this year has by far been one of the most difficult and stressful times of my life. I started off my year lost and confused with the college application process, scholarships, and in a general manner,  the shift growing out of the “high school” mindset into the “college” mindset. Now, as I am entering the final stages of my senior year, there are many things I wish I was told before I entered my last chapter of high school.

Before I dive into this article, I wanted to point out that many of these tips are about college. If you are considering not going to college or taking a gap year, that’s okay! Whatever you believe is best for you and your future whether it be the workforce,  career, or anything else- that’s the right choice for you. Many people try to input their opinion if they think your choice isn’t “the best choice” or “the right choice” and it is important to know that at the end of the day, everything works out for a reason.

1.) The Common App 

The first thing I wish I had known was how to apply to college overall. I didn’t do much research on the college application process and had entered with a very undetermined mindset. Applying to college is going to be the most stressful part of your first semester, so it is good to get it knocked out and understand the process as well. To apply, I mainly used  “Common App.” I am majoring in Musical Theatre, so I also used the website “Acceptd” for my prescreens. An issue you may be faced with is not being able to apply to a certain college through “Common App” or your desired college website. When faced with this, simply go onto the college’s website where you will find a step-by-step area on how to apply and the process that will follow. You may believe this is a self-explanatory step, but if I had known this simple step, it would have made things a lot easier on my application process.

2.) Scholarships 

Another thing I wished I knew was just how important it is to apply to every scholarship you can. For us, scholarships were released in our google classroom before we even had our first day of school. It is important to apply to anything you can, especially if you want to have an option to go out of state. Every scholarship has due dates and keeping up with these will release stress as well. There are also so many online websites that have scholarships as well. I used “Bold.com”, and “Niche.com”, where I had to put in my major and other school information and it simply sent me scholarship applications. We are very lucky when it comes to our staff releasing many of the local scholarships, and I cannot emphasize enough just how important it is to apply if you are choosing to go to college, no matter where you are attending. 

3.) SAT and ACT

Now the thing that stresses everyone out – the SAT and ACT. Speaking from personal experience, I did not do well on my SAT. I had taken it about 4 times and let’s just say my score didn’t increase much no matter how many times I had studied. I am not a good test taker and I found myself suffering because of it. My biggest piece of advice is to at least take each of the tests (SAT and ACT) once, try to study through websites such as “Khan Academy” and if your score is good enough where you feel comfortable sending them in, I would say go for it. If you feel better keeping them to yourself, that works as well. Luckily, many colleges are choosing to become test-optional, which has opened up many opportunities for students.

4.) Support System

This year, we were lucky enough to have an administration that supported us every step of the way. My stress felt manageable as I knew I wasn’t alone going through it. Not only was I lucky enough to have the school support system of my principal and teachers, but my parents and friends helped me through it as well. Especially, my guidance counselor, Mr. Zumstien. This is very important when it comes to your senior year and application process because having a support system that is only encouraging you to do your best pushes you to keep going. 

5.) Enjoy your final year

The final step I cannot push enough is to enjoy everything about your senior year. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and not enjoying it can truly ruin it. I have never had a year where I have been stressed to this extreme, but I found myself extremely prepared for my future. Spend the time enjoying applying and looking for colleges. Choose a major that works best for you and what you want to do. Spend time with your family and friends. Make the memories that you want to keep with you forever. I have gone on road trips with my friends, watched a couple more movies with my family, and even spent more alone time to process how this year has been going for me. Of course, senior year is going to be stressful, it is almost set up to be. But after reflecting on this year I have learned so much from it. I have found myself prepared for growing up and moving on from where I have been for the past four years. Every memory from this year has become important and extremely significant. These are the memories  I want to keep with me forever.