To Seniors

Dear high school seniors,

            I want to write a letter to you to talk to you about some important things I have learned from experience so far in my first semester in college and what you should keep in mind during the college selection process. Picking the school and making sure you have a plan is one of the hardest parts of graduating high school. You need to be involved, apply for scholarships, apply to many different colleges, and trying to decide what you want to do with your life. Your senior year will be the busiest year of your high school career but the hard work will pay off.

            The biggest thing I wish I had done different while in high school was applying for more scholarships. They are very time consuming and it’s hard to find the motivation to do them on top of all the other things that you already have to do and worry about. But college is expensive and all the help you can get will make a difference. Look at it this way; you could possibly make 500 dollars for about an hour or two of work. That’s pretty good money!

            You also need to start getting involved and start actively finding a career so you can start figuring out what colleges are best for you. You can do this by job shadowing, and interviewing professionals in the field that you are interested in. Having a good idea of the career you want is important because you will need to research colleges that have a good program for you. You need to start applying to colleges early and not put it off to the last minute so you can put a decent amount of time into it. When you think you know what college you are going to apply you should visit the campus and see if it is comfortable and if you would feel at home there since you will be spending a lot most of your time there.

            Your last year you really need to focus on what you are interested in and work hard so your college applications stand out from everyone else’s. Work hard and complete as many scholarships as you can. You won’t win them all but some help is better than no help. Also be active with your career choices so you don’t have to waste time farther down the road changing majors.