Junior year was really rough, huh?. Taxing even. I know this year really tried me physically, from me breaking my ankle and not being able to compete come track season, emotionally and mentally as I tried to juggle my academic and personal life. I can imagine it was probably the same for you too in one way or another. But now it’s summer and after this break, you’re onto your final year of high school and are one step closer to being where you really want to be in life. Before you embark on your last stretch, here are some tips you might want to do the summer before senior year that can make your summer more worthwhile or your senior year easier: (Note, the tips are formatted for students intending to pursue college after high school. There is no one way to make the best, effective summer suited for you.)
- Fill up your time. Try to find a steady activity you can hold for the duration of your summer. Whether it be in the form of a job, an internship, a volunteer opportunity or even dedicating your time to take up a new hobby like learning how to play an instrument, it’ll be very beneficial to you. According to Psychology Today, hobbies can help your structure your time and promote flow. You’ll be able to use your time constructively as opposed to dwelling over negative things as many can tend to do with large amounts of free time.
- Make time with your friends. As sad as this might be, the fact of the matter is this might be one of the last summers you’ll be able to hang out with your friends before life gets in the way. The summer after senior year, there’ll be college orientations to attend, family trips and countless other things that can limit summer time so make it a priority to hang out with your friends. You’ll be able to start the school year with long-lasting memories and good vibes.
- Make sure you have taken your standardized tests or sign up for them. There is a SAT date offered in August and another offered in November that will give you an ample amount of time before you have to submit your college applications. These dates also allow you to take your SAT subject tests which very few colleges require but some recommend in order to show your proficiency in a subject. If you score high on a SAT subject test, you might also be able to place out of an introductory course in college. Look at your potential colleges’ policies on this. Likewise, there is an ACT offered in September and October. You should be done with all testing in December in order to send your scores out.
- Rank colleges. Spend time this summer researching colleges in terms of location, tuition prices, majors/minors offered, curriculum rigor and such factors in order to rank the colleges you’ll apply to in August. If money permits, try to visit these said colleges to get a feel for it in person. If money doesn’t permit, sometimes local colleges can offer a feel for said colleges. For example, Amherst College may be one of your top schools and it is renown for being a small school so try to visit a small school in your local area and see if you’re suited to the atmosphere.
- Start writing college essays. Common App ( the database used to apply to some colleges) has released their 2017-2018 writing prompts and individual colleges will release their supplemental prompts throughout summer. If you get started on it right now, you’ll be able to copy and paste once the application officially opens for you to submit and you’ll be less stressful.
- Email your teachers for a letter of rec and create a resume. Rule of thumb: the more time you give your teacher to write a letter of recommendation, the nicer your letter will be. Just kidding. But seriously, teachers are like us and they want to destress from the school year and when the school year begins again, will be overwhelmed with grading on top of writing countless letters of rec. If you ask them early, you’ll be able to get it early most likely and it’ll be a thing to check off your checklist. Additionally, create a resume highlighting the clubs you joined through high school, outside activities you do, skills you possess, and anything you’d want your teacher to know in order to really describe who you really are as not only a student but a person.
These are only just a few tips you should accomplish this summer but most importantly, have fun. It is true that time really does fly by as I’ve seen it done to my senior- erm graduated friends and this is just your beginning to an end of four years.
