The end of your high school career is a time full of nostalgia and trepidation. It’s the end of a chapter and a time you’ll spend preparing to begin a new one.
However, with so much ahead of you, it can be tough to know how exactly to prepare, what to focus on, and how to handle this seemingly pivotal year. While this time can be somewhat anxiety-inducing, there’s no need to fear. Here are five things you can do in your final year that will help make the transition process a little easier.
Plan For the Future
Of course, this will be a time when you’ll need to be thinking ahead. This will mean making some big decisions, such as will you go to college, and if so, which ones are you interested in? You might need to research how to get into competitive colleges, or even the best ways to spend a gap year, if that’s a route you might prefer to take.
While it might seem daunting, it’s important that you spend some time thinking about what you want for the next few years of your life, and make some plans for how you’re going to get there.
Set Goals and Prioritize
Unfortunately, you can’t spend the entire year daydreaming and visiting college campuses – you still have your final grades to worry about! At the beginning of the year, set yourself some goals and a plan to achieve them.
If you know you need to achieve certain stats or pass a specific test for the college of your choice, set yourself a study plan and a schedule to prepare. When you know what you’re working towards, it becomes much easier to stick to the plan and prioritize!
Explore Your Passions
This year is also a great time to start exploring more of who you are as a person, what you’re good at, and how you enjoy spending your time. These elements of who you are will play a major role in the courses you decide to take after school, and the career path you may end up following.
When you’re not studying, allow yourself to explore hobbies, sports, and interests that you might not have looked into before.
Dedicate Yourself
This year, make peace with the fact that you’re going to need to put your head down and work hard. Your final year of high school isn’t the be-all and end-all of your academic career, but the grades you achieve will play a vital role in your future options.
Commit yourself to really focusing on your grades, even if that means missing out on some weekends with friends or that part-time job you were considering.
Make Time for Self-Care
Finally, even though you need to dedicate yourself to studying this year, it’s also not helpful to push yourself until you burn out!
Try to strike up a good balance between working hard and taking care of yourself in whichever ways you need – taking some evenings off, exercising regularly, making time for your loved ones, etc.
