The Do's and Dont's of Senior Year

Do's 

1. Learn Time Management

be sure you are managing your time wisely and arranging your priorities so that the school is at the top of the list. juggling six classes isn't always easy, but when you keep yourself on a daily schedule. you'll learn that much more gets accomplished.

2. Pay attention in class

it may sound like really obvious advice, but it's actually be It may sound like really obvious advice, but it’s actually becoming less common in the classrooms. I mean, you can’t say that you’ve never done homework in class that’s due the next period, let your eyes wander the room, or  started talking to a friend. Most people will admit to sleeping, texting or doing last night’s homework in class, but all the distractions are truly not good for you people.For one, the information that is being administered will  probably be on a test at some point because teachers teach so that you can learn. I mean how do they know for sure you comprehend the subject unless you’re tested on it? Secondly, you might enjoy some of the information shared in class if you actually listen to the material being taught to you, so put away the distractions and tune in to what matters.

3. Find what you're good at

When applying to colleges, it’s beneficial to be skilled at multitasking. Getting involved in clubs or sports not only help you enjoy high school more, you may have a better chance of getting college scholarships. The process of finding your strengths may teach you a thing or two about yourself. For example, if you feel that you are excellent at basketball but you can’t shoot a hoop, maybe tennis is your area of expertise. Embrace your inner strengths and flaunt what you got.

4. Create organizational tool

Homework binders, calendars and lists will help you to keep track of what is due when and where you have free time etc. It proves to be less time consuming when you don’t sit at home everyday and have to think about what you need to do rather than look at a calendar that you updates during class. It is kind of beneficial to know if you have a test the next day.

5. Save money

Senior year is probably the most expensive year of high school with things like class sweaters, class rings, yearbooks and senior ads, money will seem to disappear as fast as it appears. Having a job is valuable but only if it doesn’t  hinder you school performance. (Although the cash is handy however it might take away your time for homework.) As your last year, spending time with friends becomes more common as well as paying for your own recreational activities.

6. Have fun

It’s your last year, so enjoy every little moment you have. Spend time with friends, cherish family gatherings and make time for fun. After you graduate, you may lose track of all your friends, communications are broken, especially if you chose to move out of state. Having fun is important to alleviate the stress of school and it’s expectations; however don’t abuse fun time and let it get in the way of more important priorities.

7. Be sure to get plenty of rest

In the midst of homework overload, endless amounts of tests and quizzes along with extremely inconvenient projects you’ll find that your body can crash pretty easily. I you feel yourself getting down in the slumps, just take a breather and sleep it off. If  you really need to work all night and you get tired, set an alarm to set a desired maximum amount of time you can sleep, just to stay on schedule and you’ll succeed.

8. Bring snacks

A satisfied appetite helps you concentrate. Everyone knows that it’s hard to focus when your mind reverts to food, your stomach is growling, and all you can think about is what you’re going to eat at lunchtime. Not only is it a nuisance, studies show that certain foods help a person concentrate, the “brain food” of our time.

9. Do your homework

A lot of students get really lazy senior year and stop doing homework or copy their friends. These strategies are not beneficial and will only earn you points in a gradebook and a guilty conscience. Doing your homework will help you learn the material better and will be useful on the tests. Remember that “practice makes perfect”. ( Or at least close to perfect because no one is ever perfect. )

10. BE PREPARED!!!

It may seem totally obvious to some, but senior year brings some surprises. For example, you may not know there was a test in government the next day and didn’t study for it, next thing you know your grade drops 3%. Referring back to advice #7, beware of all the dates for tests/quizzes, study and turn in your homework on time. Realistically, if you not are prepared for one class, another class will be interfered with as well, because chances are you’ll spend another class period trying to catch up on the work you were unprepared for, thus now you are slacking in two classes as opposed to one.

                       

DON’Ts

1.  DON”T PROCRASTINATE!!!!

Avoid it for your own benefit. It brings down your grades, stresses you out  and in most cases, the finished product isn’t as good as it could have been if you would’ve done it earlier.

2. Don’t overestimate how much you can handle

Sometimes it’s good to just face the facts. Every student wants to succeed in life and in school, but overestimating your abilities, whether it be minor, such as how much you can get done in one period to major, such how many AP classes you can take on. Think hard on what you want to do and the most realistic and logical way to do it. Think harder about the decisions that will matter in the future, such as your classes for senior year and the grades you or you parents, or even your college, expect you to get. Just give it some thought, sleep on it, talk to others but the answer will most likely come down to past experiences and how you cope with your work loads now.

3.Don’t think your last year is going to be a breeze

Because it usually isn’t. Those who go in thinking that senior year is the year to do nothing and every class is going to be a piece of cake, is going to have a rude awakening. When you’re almost an adult, don’t expect that you’re going to get it any easier, if anything, teachers are going to expect more from you because this is the year that you prepare to transition into college and into the real world.

4. Don’t set yourself up for a easy year

This also goes along with the one above. Know that colleges see your laziness, or your lack of effort and when comparing a straight AP kid to a all-regular-classes-TA period-and-5 period-day kid, who is the better candidate? Also, taking college level classes will expose you to what it will be like and also show you the level of intelligence you are capable of possessing.

5. Don’t start drama

Let bygones be bygones. In other words, let it go already. If you have a problem with another person, just ignore it and if it doesn’t go away, then at least you know that you are the more mature one. If people don’t bother you, don’t look for drama or start it because it tends to linger on throughout the year and it tends to become a problem.

6. Don’t whine and complain to teachers

They don’t exactly like to hear it. Most of the time, it doesn’t really change much anyways especially when they have six classes of kids and each are whining and complaining, it gets to be old. If you don’t like something, complain to your friends, privately or keep it to yourself. If you really are overloaded with everything, ask if your teacher can be flexible to move a quiz or whatever, some teachers are all about helping students and work with their schedules.

7. Don’t come to school really sick

Nothing’s worse than spreading the germs, everyone hates being sick, so in this scenario, sharing is not caring.

8. Don’t worry about your image so much

People accept you as you are, and if they don’t then they shouldn’t matter to you. Worrying will only keep you side-tracked from your studies. It’s okay to want to look nice but if it becomes an obsession, it could get worse. In the words of Dr. Seuss, “ Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”

9. Don’t give up on yourself

Don’t just throw in the towel, it’s your last year, just keep it up and you will get through it. Going to Chaparral High School shouldn’t be in your plans for the future. you can honestly get through this year and graduate and move on if you put forth the effort.