thebabyperks

Dear Incoming Seniors,
      Be prepared for the craziness that is senior year. As excited as you probably are (trust me, I had a countdown until the last day of senior year since the first day of summer), it will go by so incredibly quick. Second semester will be so busy that it will feel like a week has gone by, not months. I have a few pieces of advice to pass on to you as you go into your final year of high school. 
       First, your grades matter! It's so easy to slack off your senior year because you're into college and "nothing matters", but don't do it. I pulled my highest grades my senior year, first semester I had a 4.286 and second semester I had a 4.333. I was able to graduate with the highest honors, Summa Cum Laude, amongst other academic awards at graduation because of my hard work. 
        Second, do not take all AP classes. I repeat, DO NOT take all AP classes. If you want to keep your grades up, as I mention in point one, do not overload yourself with work your senior year. I had little to no motivation going into my second semester and maintaining my grades would have been much harder if I took all AP classes. Also, check your college choice's policy on AP exam scores because your college may not take AP exams or they may only take 5s. The advanced/AP classes I did take were classes in the career area I wanted to pursue in the future and had a passion for. You want to enjoy your senior year, not drown in extra stress.
        Do not feel pressured to do all of the "last" events, spend your time doing what you enjoy. If that is the senior sunrise/sunset, do it. If it's spending time with your friends at someone's house binge-watching Netflix, do it. Enjoy the time you have left in high school actually doing what you want. Some people love their high school so much and can't fathom not going to the last senior football game, but if that isn't you, don't worry about not going. 

I'm pretty sure the only football game I went to this year was the homecoming game

        You may not be sad about leaving high school and that's okay. I mentioned in my last blog post that I wasn't sad on the last day of high school, and that I may be sad on graduation day, but nope, not a single tear was shed at graduation. I sat surrounded by 576ish students, a third of whom I have never even heard of or seen before, not sad that this chapter of my life was over. 
       Also, I would say decide your future plans as soon as possible. If you're continuing your education by going to college, decide if that's going to be community college or a four year university. You have until May to make your final decision but I would recommend making it as early as possible. You don't want to be scrambling mid-April of your senior year to figure out what college you're going to, you will already have so much going on.

Drury acceptance letter

        My last piece of advice is probably the most simple/easy tip for you. Take pictures. You'll want to be able to reflect on the year and all the little moments that you would have forgotten otherwise. 
        I cannot stress to you enough how much senior year will fly by. Make the most of your time in high school but also be excited about what the future holds.

Until next time,
Taylor xx