Starting Your Senior Year: 4 Things You Need to Do

It can be easy to get off track with the excitement of senior year. But these top to-do's will help you finish your last year of high school strongly.

Senior year: it’s what we’ve been dreaming of for years. But it can be way too easy to get off track—lost in the hustle and bustle of planning graduation parties, signing up for senior pictures, studying for upcoming tests, going on campus visits, sending in your college applications…the list goes on. Here are a few important things to remember in order for you to finish this year as strongly as the others, even if it may be the last. 

1. Do remember to take the SAT and ACT

By now, this may be your second or third time taking one of these admission tests. For others, it may be the first time! If it is your very first time, get to know both tests in terms of time limits, expectations, and the various sections. If it isn’t your first time, it doesn’t hurt to keep practicing and reviewing old questions you answered incorrectly. Think about your last testing experience and reflect on what you could improve upon. Each point is worth much more than you think! The biggest thing previous seniors share with underclassmen is how they wished they would have studied more and taken those two tests more seriously. It would have saved them money! If you haven’t already but need to, sign up as soon as possible to avoid paying late registration fees.

2. Do keep your grades up

Senioritis is as real as the common cold that hits hard during the first few months of school. Senior year can be a fun time—it’s your last year of high school! It’s the last time you may see the people you’ve seen almost every day for the past four years. It’s the last of many things, and it’s only reasonable that you want to relish them all. However, in all the excitement, your grades can silently drop below what is acceptable. To avoid that from happening, it helps to have an agenda, planner, or some method to help keep track of assignments and upcoming tests. Senior year is just as important as the past three years: many colleges want to see you demonstrate how great of a student you are not just through your admission essays and recommendations but through your grades and conduct throughout high school, including senior year.

Related: 10 Tips to Improve Your High School GPA

3. Do create a college résumé

A job résumé contains all the places you’ve worked and for how long. It also gives employers a general idea of your experience and all the things you’ve done and achieved. In the same way, a high school résumé is beneficial for you when it comes to applying to colleges. Instead of rummaging through your room to find all the awards you’ve won, trying to remember all the places you’ve volunteered, all the jobs you’ve worked, and more for each application you want to fill, why not have all that information in one safe place? Having some record of your volunteer, job, club, and other extracurricular experience makes it easy to transfer that information onto your applications. It also comes in handy when you’re asking for recommendations. Teachers sometimes only know what you do in school but not all the things you do outside of class, so it’s helpful to provide them with your high school résumé before they start writing. It gives them a better understanding of who you are as a student and person, which equals a stronger recommendation.  

4. Do start early on college applications

Applications, especially college applications, are not as simple as you may think. With all the parts and requirements you have to fulfill, it’s only natural that you would have questions. The worst thing you can do is wait until the last minute to start filling college applications then realize there is so much you don’t understand. Working under a time crunch is always stressful and results in work that is not always your best. Trust me: you want colleges to see your best, and you want them to see what you can do! This can only be done when you take your time to understand the application process and ask the right people the right questions. Those in charge of admission are always more than willing to speak to potential students and answer any questions they may have to make the process smoother. Also, by getting a head start on applications, you can start asking teachers, coaches, counselors, etc. for those aforementioned letters of recommendation. At times we may forget it, but they have lives just like we do. Waiting the day before the application is due to ask for a letter of recommendation is not a good idea! Asking the person you want to write your letter well in advance shows a sense of responsibility and initiative, and the chances of you getting a quality letter increases even more.

Related: Your Road Map to a Successful Senior Year of High School

These simple do’s may seem too easy to do: Who forgets to take the ACT? Who could possibly forget to keep their grades up? But you would be surprised! A little extra organization and a reminder here and there never hurt anyone. Senior year is stressful, and sometimes you'll welcome the advice and support. By keeping these tips fresh in your mind as you journey through your senior year, you’re sure to do your best and be your best.  

Need more advice to get through your last year of high school? Check out the “senior year” tag for more helpful content.

Like what you’re reading?

Join the CollegeXpress community! Create a free account and we’ll notify you about new articles, scholarship deadlines, and more.

Join Now

Tags:

About Kiarra Louis

Kiarra Louis

"I write to live and I live to write." I am 17 years old and continuously finding myself inspired by the world around me. Books are my solace and always has been. Apart from writing, I like to watch films based on true stories and learn from them as I try to do with everything else in life. I could be described as dedicated, creative, and open minded.

 

Join our community of
over 5 million students!

CollegeXpress has everything you need to simplify your college search, get connected to schools, and find your perfect fit.

Join CollegeXpress

College Quick Connect

Swipe right to request information.
Swipe left if you're not interested.

Goldey-Beacom College

Wilmington, DE


Heather McCarty

Heather McCarty

High School Class of 2020

CollegeXpress has helped me with the college application process. The tips and tricks for important essays were so helpful. I also gained useful knowledge about college life. Even though I’m fully online, CollegeXpress has helped me develop a sense of how college is in person. The experiences from college students that were featured on their Instagram page have shown the good, the bad, and the “secret” life on campus from a reliable perspective. Not to mention, they relieved my feelings of anxiety about the workload. I can now understand how it can be stressful, but it takes self-control and willpower to get assignments completed on time and with quality.

Casey Kammeyer

Casey Kammeyer

$500 Refer-A-Friend Scholarship Winner

I love the site CollegeXpress; it has been very helpful finding colleges and getting them to send me information. It has also been very, very helpful with finding tons of scholarships. Also, I told many of my friends about it and they love it as well!

Sadie Hartmann

Sadie Hartmann

High School Class of 2021

I'm a senior in high school, and CollegeXpress has helped me in so many ways this year in trying to navigate the process of deciding and committing to a university. The COVID-19 Student Resource Center has helped me many times with the most up-to-date and accurate information, along with financial aid and student life [advice]. During these uncertain times, CollegeXpress has been a great recourse to relieve the stress as a senior. Along with the COVID-19 Student Resource Center, I'm constantly using the extremely helpful tools off the site to aid me during this stressful process. Tools like the lists and rankings of universities have been the most beneficial. I've also used the site to receive expert advice on topics like financial aid. Finally, CollegeXpress has helped me easily apply for several scholarships. I'm thankful to be given the chance to win a scholarship to lessen the burden of my college debt.

Lu Diehl

Lu Diehl

High School Class of 2022

I never would have found the college I plan on attending without CollegeXpress! I've always been a person of ambition and have been dreaming of studying and working on my passion for law, legal studies, and political science. Washington College is where I plan on pursuing my career. My journey with my education has been difficult, and oftentimes, I was told I would never amount to much, but now I'm dual enrolled at Caroll Community College and have had experience in the fields I am dedicated to. Without the help of CollegeXpress (even in its early days), I would never have found Washington College and the information I need to apply and become a part of their community.

Amelia

Amelia

High School Class of 2023

CollegeXpress helped open me up to many colleges that fit my interests. I’m only a sophomore in high school, so I like having a lot to look at, and CX does a great job of picking colleges that meet my wants. It's a great website that I'll continue to use until it comes time for me to apply for colleges. I also like that it notifies me through email with options to look at. Thanks CX!