Avoiding high school senioritis: 5 tips for incoming first-year students
Senior year can seem like it is going to drag on forever. There are so many reasons to justify slacking off during your last stretch of high school, but allowing yourself to submit to those excuses will only hurt you in the long run. Here are some tips to help you stay strong and finish the year off right.
1. Keep up with your scholarship search
I know this isn’t necessarily fun, but it’s important to keep this in mind. It’s really never time to stop searching for scholarships. There are so many out there to apply for, and even though the process is time-consuming and sometimes frustrating, it is well worth the effort.
2. Get in the college mindset
A great way to push through any sort of dry season in life is to focus on the road ahead of you. Keep your head up, and keep reminding yourself of the bright, new things ahead of you. Regardless of any stories, rumors, or jokes you’ve heard about stereotypical college life, get excited about the new chapter of your life that begins once you start college. Your college experience will be exactly what you make of it. If you stay persistent and driven, you will grow so much and achieve truly incredible things in college.
As you press on through these last few months of high school, remind yourself of all the new, exciting things that are in store for you. Imagine all the wonderful people you’ll meet and things you’ll accomplish. There are so many new doors that will be opened for you at ASU, and it’s such an amazing thing to look forward to. In general, begin to immerse yourself in college life by getting an idea of how you could be spending your time once you get there. A very productive way to spend your free time would be to begin researching clubs and organizations.
ASU has an almost overwhelming amount of involvement opportunities, so it is nearly impossible to find absolutely nothing that catches your interest. Going to their websites or making phone calls are the easiest ways to go about doing this, but another way to enhance your perspective on ways to get involved on campus is to make friends with current students and ask them about how they’ve gotten involved.
3. Build your skills
Chances are, you have many different interests, talents, or hobbies already. Decide right now that you are going to start taking the time to explore new interests and build on some old ones. Take the time to do what excites you. Once you get to college, you will have plenty of opportunities to expand these hobbies even more. When you arrive on campus, keeping your interests in mind will help you quickly connect with certain clubs or organizations that strike your fancy. It might also help to do a bit of research on what extracurricular opportunities ASU offers, including student clubs and organizations.
For example, find a list of clubs that interest you and look at their social media pages to get a better idea of what they’re about and what involvement with them looks like. Or if you’re interested in Greek life, start researching ahead of time and thinking about that process (I am not involved in Greek life, so I really have no actual information about it, but there are many places you can look and people you can speak with to get a better idea of what it’s like).
Another extremely important way you can build skills is by volunteering. Any type of volunteer experience in general is always a rewarding and worthwhile experience, but if you are able to volunteer in a way that incorporates your interests, you will find a more specialized reward. For example, if you are interested in art, find an art museum where you can volunteer, or a camp where you can help lead summer art courses for children. If you’re interested in business, volunteering at a nonprofit will enhance your platform in the business world and also offer you a great way to network.
4. Talk to current college students
Getting to know people who have pushed through the stresses of senior year and experienced the whole new world of college will be a great resource to you as you finish off the year. Find people who can speak positively about how hard work during senior year pays off, and ask them all you want about college life. Connecting with people who have been in your position recently will help ease your mind and help you feel more confident that you have the ability to finish this year well.
5. End your senior year with a bang
There's something so satisfying about reaching the end of a long journey and knowing that you pressed on until the very end. It’s easy to want to slack off during this last year. You’re exhausted and ready to move on. However, your future self will thank you for working so hard until the very end. Fully engage yourself with the place where you are right now, and when it starts to feel overwhelming, remind yourself that the finish line is in sight.
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