Advice for Future Seniors

After four very long years, it still doesn’t feel like it’s actually happening. But in only a few short days, I, along with the other seniors will finally graduate. Now that I’ve gone through my senior year, I’m going to be sharing some advice I have for future classes of seniors.

Make the Most of Your Time

During senior year, time goes by fast. It certainly doesn’t feel like May to me, and time went a lot quicker than I expected it to. Each year of high school goes by faster than the last, and of course senior year goes the fastest of all. Although a lot of us are excited to be done with high school, it can be so easy to get caught up with what’s next that we don’t slow down and enjoy the little time we have left. 

I think it is important to fully enjoy the time you have left as a senior, although many may do that in different ways. Spend time with your friends and family as much as you can, and try to have as many great experiences as possible. Some of my favorite high school memories with friends have only been made this year, and I think I made my last year so much better by hanging out with people whenever I can. By enjoying some of the time you have left, you can really make the most of it.

Give it Your All

When we look ahead as seniors, it’s very easy to focus on our futures and stop trying during our senior year. Feel free to do whatever you want, but I highly recommend you still “try” during your senior year. It’ll help you in the long run if you still try and keep your grades up, and if you stop dedicating yourself to your activities you could even lose out on what could be a great senior season. Work hard and you won’t regret it.

Try Something New

Even for seniors, I think it’s important to try something new. It’s never too late to get involved with something, and I know so many seniors who have loved getting involved with new activities during their final year. This year was my first year writing for The Lance, and this new experience alone has been so much fun and taught me a lot. Join a new sport, get involved with a new organization, or maybe take a class just for fun once in a while.

In the past, a lot of students weren't always able to try everything they wanted due to their schedules, but as seniors with far more flexible schedules (and usually less classes too) it is much easier to get involved with new things. Additionally, a new activity can definitely help make your year a little more interesting if you feel like you already know what’s coming. By getting involved with new things this year I’ve made some great new friends, and I highly recommend future seniors try and do the same. 

Remember, You Still Don’t Need to Have Everything Figured Out

Although there’s a lot of pressure put on seniors to figure out what they’re going to do after high school, it’s still okay if you don’t fully decide on something right away. You can always change your plans after high school, whether that means switching majors, schools, or anything else. While it’s good to have things figured out early on, it’s not the end of the world if it takes you some more time than others to decide what you want to do with your future.

Final Thoughts

This is some of the advice that I think is most useful based on how my senior year went, but ultimately your year is entirely up to you. Go your own way and do whatever you want to to have the best senior year ever.