For the upcoming seniors who are procrastinators, the college application process and senior workload is a cluster of disasters. On top of your seven-class workload, you will also have a big mass of repetitive essay revisions and numerous scholarship questions to choose from. As I am half way through the process myself, and have learned a lot from my experience, I recommend these tips to this year’s juniors, and those sophomore and freshmen out there who are looking to plan ahead to make their senior year go as smoothly as possible.

Start getting ready to apply to colleges and scholarships during the summer after your junior year

As a lot of scholarships and college applications have a particular date that they are due, it is a good idea to start planning early. With all the tedious work of applying, at least try to look at the prompts as early as possible so that you can begin thinking about a range of ideas that will make it easier to get the ball rolling. Scholarships often transfer over to the next year as well, and will be ready for you to apply for, so just writing out the essays and having them saved will have you less stressed your senior year. A personal essay for colleges is one of the most important parts of an application, because many colleges care more about your personal experience rather than your test scores or grades.

In my own experience, applying early action took a lot of stress off my shoulders. I applied to all my colleges no later than November, and if I had not done that, I feel I would have a lot of anxiety, stress, and anticipation built up inside of me. As it is January now, I have been accepted into all my schools and I can spend the next few months narrowing down my options, as the date to commit nears. If I had not done early action, I would not have had the time to dig deep into where I would be spending the next four years of my life.

Stay on top of your grades

Just because you are a senior and might get that senioritis feeling does not mean you are done. You are not finished with La Salle until you walk across that graduation stage. I think it’s important to leave a good reputation associated with your name, and to make your senior year the best academically, and spiritually, too. Your senior grades do matter to colleges. It is not true when people say “colleges only look at the other years”. Colleges look at growth and determination to want to succeed. Your first semester senior grades can be critical in the admission process, and colleges can sometimes take back an acceptance if a person’s grades drop significantly.

I always make sure I do my work the day I get it. Although we have more days to do an assignment with the way our schedule is here at La Salle, I feel it is best to do it when assigned. In college you may not have a long period of time until an assignment is due, so you need to learn how to manage your time and be in the habit of getting things done before the due date. I feel senior year is all about your work ethic and your preparation towards your own skills to take into college.

Work with your counselor and teachers

All the staff at La Salle are here to help. Do not wait until the last minute to get help, for it will be too late by then. If you know you are struggling or struggle in a class it is best to get a tutor or work with your teacher for help. It is never too early to get help with anything. Counselors are also a great resource when you have any questions along the way of your college application process. You should also plan to ask a couple teachers you feel comfortable with to write you a recommendation letter either before summer or right when your senior year is going to start.

I have learned this tip the hard way. Throughout my senior year I assumed I could keep my grade up in one particular class without talking to the teacher, but it is late in the second semester and I am struggling to hang in there. As I am now working with my teacher it is making everything much easier.

End strong

I believe you should make the best of your senior year. You should end your journey at La Salle with a big bang. As you end strong you can walk into your summer year with a burden off of your shoulders. As my senior year is halfway through I have already began to feel my senioritis kick in. As I look around at my fellow classmates they are also feeling the same tension. Just because acceptance letters may come early in your senior year does not mean you are done yet.

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Even though I gathered these tips in the middle of my senior year, I believe that sticking to these guidelines will help me to finish this year successfully. I hope I can help you make your senior year relaxing and help you have the ability to feel confident to go to the college that fits you perfectly.