If you grew up in the 80’s like me you are familiar with the song The Final Countdown by the band Europe. It became popular again recently as it has been used in a commercial for Geico. I hear high school marching bands playing it and it epitomizes what high school seniors are thinking. A lot goes into preparing for the last year of high school compared to the other years. The final time around, you and your child will prepare post-college plans such as community college, university, the military, trade school or going straight into the workforce. Sometimes you need to prepare financially for college or do research about different careers paths for your child. Plenty of thought goes into the last year and for good reason!
- The summer before senior year of high school is spent not only having fun with friends, but also applying to all the colleges of your child’s dreams. There will be plenty of applications to talk about your child’s successes and extra-curriculars, essays from your child’s first-hand perspective and different fees all going to separate colleges in an attempt to get your child into the school of their choice. Make time for filling out those applications and writing those essays.
- In addition to thinking strictly about college, there are two tests that your student will need to have fairly decent scores on: the SAT and ACT. While they are “just tests,” the score your child receives on them could have a huge impact on where they attend for school. The studying that is required for these tests is much more strenuous than the tests in their history or math classes. Usually studying takes place during the summer and a lot of students pick up helpful books from places like Barnes and Noble to help them in studying for such important tests.
- Once your child passes all the tests and has acceptance letters from different colleges, it’s a matter of choosing which college and career path they want to go down. Consider money that will be spent during and after college, the majors and minors offered at the school, the courses offered, the acceptance and dropout rates and of course your child’s overall well-being at school. College begins to send acceptance letters mid-year and it gets crazier after that.
- Lastly, preparing for the final year of high school is more than just focusing on school. Make sure that your child gets plenty of time to make fun memories with their childhood friends and have time to themselves. Before everyone knows it, high school graduation will arrive and everyone will truly go their own way after that. Let your child fully prepare for the craziness that is senior year!