Senior Year Guide: FALL
Congratulations! You’ve made it to senior year! This is one of the best years of high school. Enjoy every moment. You’re probably a little overwhelmed with what the next nine months have in store, but don’t worry, I’ve mapped out the entire year for you. I’ve covered everything from the first day of school to graduation. In this post, I’ve compiled all of my tips and tricks for the fall semester of senior year. I started writing this post thinking I would do both fall and spring, but there’s just so much stuff to cover! So here’s my senior year guide for your fall semester!
COLLEGE DECISIONS
College. What. No. How is it that it’s already time to start looking at and applying to colleges?! Trust me, I know.
COLLEGE TOURS.
Tour as many colleges as you possibly can. I would recommend touring colleges the summer before your senior year, but if that doesn’t happen, don’t worry. You have plenty of time during your fall semester to tour schools!
Touring schools is the best way to get a feel for the campus. I knew when I walked onto my college campus that that was where I should be. It felt like home. Also, consider things that you want in a university. Do you want a big or small school? Is football important to you? Do you want to be involved in Greek life? How far away from home do you want to be? These are all questions you should be asking yourself when looking at colleges. I knew I wanted to be away from home, be close to the beach, and go to football games on Saturdays.
COLLEGE APPLICATIONS.
College application deadlines will sneak up on you rather quickly. Within the first few weeks of school, go ahead and start asking teachers to write you letters of recommendation. The sooner you ask, the more likely you are to have your letters of recommendation on time.
Get started on applications early. Yeah you can technically apply to a college in one sitting, but you need time to work on those essays. If the college to which you’re applying has a non-binding early application date, strive to submit your application by then. Usually those are in mid-October. Not only will you be done with your applications a lot sooner, you’ll typically know whether or not you’ve been accepted sooner as well! Don’t wait until the last minute to do things. I’m a procrastinator, but college apps were one thing I refused to procrastinate on.
HIGH SCHOOL
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL.
AHHH! You’re a senior! I can remember my first day of senior year and thinking, “Oh my gosh. Am I really a senior? I don’t feel like a senior.” I think I spent the first month of school still expecting to see old, familiar faces from the previous year’s senior class in the hallway, but they already graduated. I don’t think the reality of being a senior actually sunk in until the middle of October.
FOOTBALL GAMES.
Go to the football games. I went to almost every single one senior year, and I had a blast. And whatever you do, don’t leave early! I know that sometimes when your team is losing so bad, it doesn’t seem like there’s even a point for you to stay. But seriously, stay. You won’t regret it. Our student section was amazing. We stayed through downpours and thunderstorms and extreme heat. Your team needs you, and those are the memories that will last a lifetime.
HOMECOMING.
Not all homecomings are created equal. Our homecoming was not very popular among the upperclassmen. I went to the game, but I didn’t go to the dance. If your homecoming is a huge event at your school, GO!
SPIRIT WEEK.
Spirit week is such a fun time to just be silly. Now, I didn’t participate in the days where you had to dress up in costume or something, but I would partake in the days where it was like wear a certain color, or wear flannel, or wear pj pants. Pajama pants day was by far my favorite. I mean you’re going to school in your pajamas. Does anything get any better than that? I don’t think so.
SENIOR NIGHT.
Our senior night for the football team was the only game we won all season. And that was one of the only games I didn’t go to. Yep. But I would highly recommend going. Support your team! You’re only a senior once, and you only get to stand in the senior section of the student section once.
These are just my experiences and recommendations for senior year, and you can read even more about my experiences in my high school reflection post! Everyone’s senior year is different, and I hope your senior year will be as wonderful as mine, and good luck on this important part of your life! I think the most important part about senior year is to just be involved in as many things as possible. Go to as many events as you can. You won’t regret it.
Check out my other high school posts!
How to Survive High School: FRIENDS
How to Survive High School: RELATIONSHIPS
How to Survive High School: GRADES
I hope this post was helpful! If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below, and I will make sure to respond! Or, feel free to e-mail me at livingthegraylife@gmail.com. I try to respond to everyone! If you’ve graduated, what was the most memorable part of your senior year? I love hearing from you!
-Abigail T.
