What I wish I knew in 12th grade

Keep a record of your activities, apply for scholarships early, study for your SAT, take AP courses, enjoy your time, and don't give in to senioritis

Even though my high school career ended almost 2 years ago, as I look back and reminisce, I see that I still carry with me some great memories. Senior year is a particularly special time, filled with family, friends, sporting events, extracurricular activities, proms, and road trips. However, I can’t neglect memories of school work, exams, college applications, and recommendation letters. Yes, every college-bound high school senior goes through it. Looking back, there are a few things that I am glad that I knew during my senior year, as well as a few things that I wish I had known.

I am glad that I knew to keep a running track record of my extracurricular activities and awards throughout my high school career. A friend of mine actually suggested this to me during my sophomore year. I was very active in a number of campus and community organizations while in high school, so much so that I probably would have forgotten about many of these activities and the awards once it was time to begin completing college and scholarship applications. As soon as you get a chance, take a second to think back on your high school career and list all of your extracurricular activities and the honors/awards that you have received. It will make completing those applications that much easier!

I am glad that I knew to start applying for scholarships early! I cannot stress this enough… start now! Take advantage of scholarship information resources such as fastweb.com. This is a great website that will identify scholarships that you may qualify for. Also do research in your local community. There may be several scholarships offered by local churches, as well as local civic and Greek organizations. Though these scholarships may have a smaller dollar amount than other national scholarships, every little bit helps, so keep your eyes and ears open!

As a high school student, I definitely wish I had known that you can actually study for the SAT. It may sound crazy, but I actually didn’t realize that I could really improve my scores by working with the Princeton Review books. I had taken the SAT a couple of times prior to my senior year, but had never actually studied. Finally, during my senior year, I picked up a copy of the Princeton Review book and actually used it to prepare. Needless to say, my SAT scores increased impressively.

Also, I wish I had known the benefits of taking AP classes and courses offered at community colleges for college credit. Unfortunately, I did not take advantage of either of these options and entered college with no college credit. Though this is not necessarily a bad thing, any college credit that you have when you enter college simply gives you more of an edge. Talk to your guidance counselor at school and learn more about these options.

Finally, the best advice that I could give to any high school senior is this:

• Enjoy your time in high school and don’t rush your experience by saying “I can’t wait until I get to college!”
• Don’t give in to Senioritis. Instead, use your classes and extracurricular activities to help you develop your study and time management skills. They will be invaluable once you reach the college level!