Senior Year (Tips and experience)
By a Student, Quasheba Johnson
It's the end of junior year and everyone is anticipating the arrival of senior year. Cars, crushes, calculus and college! With the thrilling and vast amount of senior events it may be pretty easy to lose sight of academics. Senior year will more than likely be the most expensive year in your high school career. If you have never wanted a job, you will now. Senior pictures, a homecoming dress, hair, clothes, prom, Grad Bash- the list goes on. Working and going to school may be pretty strenuous depending on the amount of hours worked, so it is in your best interest to work reasonable hours.
Senior year should be enjoyable, memorable and exciting. Here are these people that have evolved with you, laughed with you and shared their lives with you, make the best of the last moments spent together! In the midst of all of this scandalous yet innocent fun, be sure to plan for the future. By the arrival of senior year, it is common to have a small selection of colleges that you may be interested in attending. Review your choices thoroughly, compare and eliminate. In most cases, a simple campus tour will be enough to you help decide if the institution is a perfect match for you. Apply to those institutions that are in sync to whom you are or who you want to one day become. Also, be sure to apply for FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Oftentimes, prospective students are discouraged due to the pricey cost of attendance. Tuition cost is a major factor, I agree, but it is only a greater reason to apply early. The sooner you apply the higher priority you become when the school disburses its funding.
The two most fulfilling events to have happened during my senior year would have to be receiving my acceptance letter to Hampton University and graduating. I was returning from my senior trip, which was a week stay in Manhattan, New York. I was feeling a certain joy in the car when my parents picked me up from the airport. When I arrived home there was a huge envelope that read 'Congratulations!' alongside a chocolate cupcake sitting on my dining room table. I was in tears of joy! My dad took me outside to tell me that he was very proud of me and ensured me that I had his full support. I had been calling the financial aid department every day, harassing admission workers (not recommended), put on overwhelmingly long holds and there it was- my acceptance letter!
Knowing what your next step is in anything is a luxury. This gives you comfort, security and time to prepare. From the sweet and innocent first day of school in the ninth grade when you were too scared to even socialize, up until your senior year where every time you enter the cafeteria your friends are all sending hand singles to join their table- it's a journey. Use this journey to create the essential blueprints needed for the life you want to live.
