Senior Year Guide: Spring

You’ve made it through first semester! Well, maybe you haven’t. Maybe you’re about to go into your senior year and just want to know what it’s going to entail. In that case, make sure you check out my Senior Year Guide: Fall Semester post. In that post you can find information about college applications and everything high school! In this post, I’m going to cover everything from choosing the right school to graduation!

College Decisions

The May 1st deadline is fast approaching and you’re probably checking the mail every day to see if you’re acceptance letter came. I remember that time of my life. What a stressful and exciting time to be alive!

COLLEGE TOURS. If you haven’t toured the schools that you’ve gotten accepted to, I would highly recommend doing that. Touring a school is a really good way to tell if you’re going to fit there. I knew right when I walked on to South Carolina’s campus that it was where I was meant to be. The campus has history and it’s absolutely beautiful. And yes, ok people do say that the University of South Carolina isn’t the real USC. Well, we were a school before California was even a state so… anyways I’m rambling now. But, make sure to tour those campuses. You’ll get a feel for the weather, student life, and how busy the campus is.

THE BIG DECISION. May 1st. They sure do drill that date into your head. I waited until the last week in April to make my decision to go to USC. I think one major thing to keep in mind is that if you end up going to the school you chose and don’t like it, you can always transfer! That’s the joy of college. If you don’t like something, it can always be changed. Another big thing to consider when making your final college decision is money. If you know you’re going to go into a massive amount of debt just for your undergrad, you’re better off going to a less expensive school. I mean in the grand scheme of life, where you get your undergrad doesn’t really matter that much. I know when I chose USC, I was so stressed about the money. It was almost double what it would cost me to go to the University of Tennessee, but now that I’ve completed my first semester, I really feel that going out of state and spending that extra money has made me become more independent and grow as a person. Again, it’s all up to you, but these are just some things to consider!

High School

You know, looking back at my spring semester of my senior year, the only thing that was really important was getting the hell out of there. By that point, everyone was so done with classes, and waking up early, and constantly being told what to do. Plus, all of my classes were complete jokes. I was basically babysat all day.

PROM. Prom was probably the best night of my entire high school career. Just go to prom. It doesn’t matter if you go with a date or just friends, all I can say is GO TO PROM. You only get this opportunity once, or maybe twice, but it is so important. It is really one of the last events that you get to attend as a high schooler. I can tell you that my prom was amazing. It exceeded my expectations. I had the perfect dress, the perfect group, the perfect date. Now, if you’re a girl and you don’t have a date to prom but you really want one, ASK SOMEONE! That’s what I did. I was dating this guy and we broke up a month before prom. Yes, I was devastated and didn’t even know how to deal with the situation, but in the end, I asked one of my really good guy friends, and let me tell you, that was the most amazing night of my life. And we look killer in our pictures 🙂 Go to prom.

GRADUATION. Graduation. You’ve made it. This is the night that you’ve been waiting for for 18 years. You’ve put 13 long years of school into getting one sheet of paper. My graduation was amazing. To be honest, it’s all just a blur in my memory, but from what I can remember, it was great. Take everything in. The outfit you’re wearing. What all of your friends look like. The smile on everyone’s face. The realization that this is the last time that you’re going to see a majority of these people. TAKE A TON OF PICTURES. I don’t care if you’re so tired of taking pictures and you’re over it. Take those pictures. I look back at my graduation pictures and it just makes me so happy. To think that I’ve been friends with a lot of those people for going on 8 years now really means something to me. Take in the atmosphere. The music. The lights. The stage. Everything. Also, if your school has a Grad Night or something, do go to that. I went to mine and it was great! It was the last time I got to see a lot of my high school friends.

Well, there you go. You’ve made it. You’re officially a college student now. No more high school drama. No more being friends with people just because you see them every day of your life. Enjoy your summer! Get a job. Earn some extra money. Trust me, you’re going to want that when you get to college.

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

As always, if you have any questions or just need advice on being a senior in high school and feeling confused and stressed, please feel free to shoot me an email at livingthegraylife@gmail.com. I will 100% reply and help you through it. Good luck! Have fun! And remember, take lots of pictures!

-Abigail T.