The Senior Meltdown
The How-To on Surviving Senior Year
By High School Admission Rep Monica Allison
It’s the question you been hounded with all year…
“What are your plans after graduation?”
Senior year can be the best year of high school. It can even be the best year of your life. Senior year is exciting because high school is almost over and you don’t have to go back after summer break. The excitement of living your life, following your dreams, starting the next chapter, and all the other clichés you may hear throughout the year is just around the corner.
What happens if you do not know what you want to do after high school? What if nine months was not enough time to decide what you want to do with the rest of your life? What if you are not done with this chapter and this chapter was too short? What if you are not ready?
This is what I call the “Senior Meltdown”. It’s when you realize there are only a few short months before you graduate, thirty days before the scholarship deadlines, and the start of the countdown for when you walk across the stage and receive your diploma. Many high school senior feels the panic in their chest and the annoyance of the numerous questions from their parents, grandparents, family members, teachers, and random strangers:
“what are your plans… what are you doing… you need to decide…. pretty soon it will be over… you can’t live at home forever… time for the real world… ugh adulting”
Welcome to the first stage of the Senior Meltdown. Good news! I know how you can survive!
First, make a list. This doesn’t have to be a long list, just a list of what you want to do in life. Traveling, owning your own home, buying a dream car, finding security, making money, and being happy can all be items on this list. Then, make a list of what you want in a college. Start by looking at local colleges. You can save money by commuting to a local college. You can also save by borrowing food out of mom and dad’s fridge and, let’s not forget, mom can still do your laundry!
Second, remember that scholarships are not a big and scary monster. Do not panic when you see a scholarship application that is five pages long. Instead, stop and consider how long it will take you to earn that scholarship just by working. I bet if you make minimum wage and work part-time after school, it would take you a month to three months to earn the same amount of money the scholarship is offering. A scholarship application will take three hours max to complete. Take the time and apply. I mean, it is FREE money!
Finally, schedule many college visits. Visit a college, talk to admission reps, students, and if you’re lucky a professor/director. My best advice for those who are unsure or undecided about their college choice is to SIT IN A COLLEGE CLASS! Test drive the college, test drive the program, and, especially, test drive the career. See if it fits you and your list of what you want to do in life. It doesn’t cost money, it takes an hour max, and you will feel so much better after you experience a program and a college first hand. In my next blog, I will tell you all about “Test Driving A College.”
If you want to visit East Ohio College, learn more about local scholarship, and sit in a college class, call/text me at 330-368-8018. We can talk more about Medical Assisting, Business Administration, Dental Assisting, Medical Office Administration, and/or Nursing.