Your Final Semester in High School: What’s Next?
I remember feeling like my senior year in high school took forever to come, but I also remember finally becoming a senior and that year flying by. One second you’re trying to decide what sort of clubs or extracurricular activities to join, and the next you’re walking down an aisle of your peers to “Pomp and Circumstance.” With so many things to do and so many changes taking place, it can be a challenge to navigate that final year in high school. Here are some tips to help graduating seniors be better prepared to continue their education at the next level.
Most high school students start hearing back from colleges during the spring semester (although some colleges do admit students earlier). I would use this time to map out the next few months by making a list of things you can’t change, like SAT dates, final exams, school vacations, and any extracurricular activities you’re involved with or committed to. Once you tackle all of those important high school to-dos, you can really start to get ready for college.
In my opinion, one of the first things that a soon-to-be new college student should do after applying is to become familiar with the resources their intended school has to offer. Understanding where and how to get things done is a major advantage for new students because there are major differences between high school and college. Unprepared students can end up spending more time trying to find answers to simple questions than it takes to actually answer those questions.
One way EFSC is combatting this obstacle is with a digital guidebook just for seniors, which can help to keep you on track. “Navigating College: A Senior’s Guide to EFSC” can help you stay up-to-date on deadlines, program changes, enrollment processes, and more. If you turn to pages three, four, and five, you can see a list of items that seniors can work on to prepare for what comes next.
Another way to stay ahead of the curve is by being on the lookout for any events catered toward high school seniors, new students, or freshmen. Colleges tend to hold these events before the semester starts — often because they want to be sure that their first-time-in-college students receive assistance before it gets too close to the start of term.
Each year, Eastern Florida holds a series of application workshops called Go Higher, Get Accepted. These generally take place in the Fall Term and are geared toward graduating seniors who are looking to apply to EFSC. Normally, the workshops are held at participating high schools, but due to COVID-19, we held them virtually in 2021. EFSC even has a workshop designed to help dual enrolled students transition to full-time college students, as well as one to assist with the FAFSA and financial aid. These workshops are all great for new students because they make sure to include important information about term deadlines that are relevant to each student’s enrollment process.
Lastly, what are you up to this summer? If you’re going to be working a summer job, make sure to save up as much money as you can, as college expenses can add up — but also leave some time to rest, because the next two to four years of your life are going to be very busy! If you have some spare time, look to see if your college offers any resources to help you prep for college during the summer. EFSC, for example, offers a virtual workshop series called Summer Kick Start, which is a set of three online workshops designed to make graduating seniors more successful during their freshman year.
If you’re a graduating senior, I hope you find these tips helpful, and I want to leave you with the most important tip of all: You’ll be encountering a lot of change in the coming months, so don’t forget to make the most of your remaining time in high school!
- To the Graduating Seniors of 2021 - June 30, 2021
- Your Final Semester in High School: What’s Next? - March 24, 2021
- What Should I Do Next? - July 23, 2020
