Go to as many school events as you can

As a senior of the class of 2021, I did not have many events to go to because of the lack of tickets and it is one thing I wish I was able to do. If you have the opportunity to attend these school events, try your hardest to go because you will miss it once your senior year is over.

Spend lots of time with your friends

Spend as much time with your friends as you can because graduation day will be right in front of you before you know it. Senior year is one of the last times all of your friends will be together long-term. Many of your relationships will never be the same after you leave for a job, training or college, so spending that time with them now is important. The adventures you have senior year are some of the most memorable, so do not pass up going out with your friends over a night in.

Don’t stress out too much

Even though many claim for it to be the easiest year of high school, senior year can put extreme amounts of stress on you. Finding ways to relieve and reduce stress is important for your mental health and your performance inside and out of school.

Push off your lack of motivation until the very end

As hard as it may be. Keeping up the momentum until right around fourth quarter is crucial to not only your grades but your acceptance from colleges as well. Losing momentum takes a toll on your mental health, so using others to motivate you and pushing yourself to keep motivated is crucial for your senior year.

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Don’t put too many hard classes on your schedule

Although you may have been taking all advanced classes in your previous years of high school, you may want to dial back what you choose to take senior year. As a senior, you are given a large number of courses to take — take the ones you find interesting and will help guide you in your decision to choose a major.

Earn some college credit

There are many free courses offered by PV that provide you with credits in college as well as high school. Although they do not provide you with an honors weight for your GPA, you earn credits for courses that may transfer to your college. 

Start college applications early

The earlier you start your application process, the sooner you can be done. Many colleges open their application portals at the beginning of August, but if you’re applying to a school with a required essay, you can start preparing them before the application opens. Doing these simple tasks over the summer, although hard, can save you a lot of time in the fall. Many state schools do not require an essay, so make sure you check what the application requirements are. Some schools may asked for letters of recommendation, if one you’re applying to does, check in with your writers as soon as you can. 

Apply for scholarships

Applying for scholarships is one piece of the college hunt that many students overlook. The fall is a very stressful time during senior year, but applying to many scholarships, even if you don’t think you need to, is vital for your success. Many seniors don’t think about applying for scholarships until it is too late and all of the deadlines have passed. When you are scholarship searching, look into local scholarships, scholarships from your university, and ones from PV. Many students decide against applying to local and PV scholarships, but you have a better chance of earning that money because of the smaller applicant pool.

Go out and have fun

Drive your car around at night. Go out with your friends and adventure. Enjoy one of the last few times you’ll be without major responsibility. Having fun and completing the necessary work is a balancing act, but will continue to provide you with hopefully enough motivation over your senior year.

Enjoy your last moments at PV 

Lots of seniors, including myself, have complained their way through the final year of high school, but that may have left them missing out on many fun things they are experiencing. Instead of complaining about what forms you have to fill out or what homework has to get done, allow yourself to enjoy what is going on around you in your year of lasts.

Take breaks

Don’t push yourself until you cannot do schoolwork anymore and give yourself breaks. Continually stressing about the next thing you have to get done will drive your motivation to the ground. Sometimes, going on a school visit or putting your homework aside for that net episode on Netflix is a good thing, especially during your senior year.