Senior year is the culmination of your entire high school career. All the work you have put in over the years is leading up to graduation. It’s the year of last firsts, making memories, and major decisions. While it’s exciting to be so close to graduation, it can also be overwhelming as everything seems to be happening all at once. Overall, senior year can be a lot to navigate so here’s some advice straight from the Class of 2025.
1) Appreciate each moment.
Highschoolers always here things like ‘it’ll go by in the blink of an eye’ and many tend to dismiss it as just another cliché.
As a senior, your last year of high school truly feels as if everything is happening incredibly quickly.
“I wish I knew how fast it was gonna go by,” said Reni Martinez ‘25. So remember to make the most of it.
“The part of senior year that’s been the best is definitely always having get-togethers with friends and just spending lots of time all together throughout our last year,” said Martinez.
The most important thing to know about senior year is to enjoy every moment and make the most of it while it lasts.
2) Get ahead on college applications!
This is the time to put in your all and reach for your dreams. Starting your college applications before senior year starts can be a major advantage.
“What I wish I would do differently is start college applications way sooner. I wish I started everything in the summer and did things like really reaching out for help instead of just thinking I could do it all on my own,” said Martinez.
Getting a late start on your applications only creates more stress. Even if you just do a little bit at a time, starting early can help you be prepared and confident during application season.
3) It will probably be harder than you expected.
People often say that junior year is the hardest year of high school. While it most likely is the most important year to get good grades and improve your transcript for college, many seniors believe that the first semester of senior year is even tougher.
“I wish I would’ve known that senior year is going to be tough,” says Jadyn Walsh ‘25.
It’s important to maintain your grades during this time and it is probably the busiest you will ever be in high school.
“Your first semester there will be a lot of times where you think you can’t do it with all the stress of applications and classes, but putting in the effort will pay off and you’ll get to go to a place that you’re excited about,” continued Walsh.
As you juggle college applications, senior events, and more advanced classes it can be hard to deal with the stress, but in the end it’s worth it.
4) Senioritis is real.
By the time the second semester of senior year comes around you might be tired of high school and looking ahead to your future.
“The hardest is getting past senioritis because it’s very, very real,” said Martinez.
It’s important, however, to remember you’re still in high school. Make sure you don’t end up checking out halfway through the year. It can be tempting, especially as you’re getting excited for the next chapter of your life, but this is a mistake you don’t want to make. It’s important to finish strong in your last few months of school so you don’t end up looking back and regretting not putting in your all.
5) It’s okay to not have everything figured out.
Last but definitely not least, as a senior you might feel like there’s a lot of pressure to have your entire future planned, but the truth is, most people don’t have it all figured out.
“Everybody has a path. You never know what you’re destined for or where the path will lead you but the journey is what’s most important,” said Piper Scherbert ‘25.
No need to stress about every single decision. Most people’s plans will end up being different from what they expected them to be, but in the end things usually work out to be for the best.
