WHAT THEY DIDN’T TELL YOU ABOUT SURVIVING SENIOR YEAR, FROM ONE CLUELESS SENIOR TO THE REST

How to decide on a college:

You struggled through and submitted your applications months ago, thinking that the worst was over. What they didn’t tell you that the most painful part of the college admissions process might be actually deciding where to go. There are a multitude of factors – money, location, academics, other opportunities– that go into choosing a school, and at this point they are probably a jumbled mess in your head. A simple pro/con list will work wonders for your weary mind. Don’t be ashamed of your thoughts – just write them down. A visual representation of the dilemma at hand can be more helpful than you think. Even just looking at the length of the pros vs. the length of the cons can be an indicator as to which school you’re leaning towards.

Make sure you have a conversation with a parent, guardian, or trusted adult about which choice is better suited to your lifestyle and finances. But if they start pushing a school that you truly don’t think will benefit your life, remember that it’s important to listen to your heart. Visit the campus and talk to some of the students: Do they reflect the kind of person you want to become? Try to feel the vibe of the campus, and imagine yourself spending the next few years of your life there. If you see yourself finding happiness, like-minded people, and knowledge, you’ll know immediately where to go.

Good luck! And overall it’s not really where you go, but what you do while you’re there.

How to combat senioritis.

It’s the much dreaded phenomenon, often invoked by bemused parents and teachers, often held up as an excuse by students who didn’t do their homework. Senioritis is real, and it’s thriving. Apart from its voraciousness and contagiousness, I’m guessing nobody told you how to fight it. Nobody told me, either, and yours truly succumbed long ago to its grip. But together we can attempt to come up with a list of ways to return to our normal selves.

1. Make a list. This list can include goals large and small, all placed there with the purpose of hopefully checking them off.
2. Prioritize school.
3. Maybe buy a cute agenda book to organize your tasks. They can be “write paper for English” or “catch up The Real Housewives of _____” or “read a book” or “hang out with friends.” Go ahead, schedule in “take a nap,” take the nap, then cross it off your agenda and feel the satisfaction of completing a task eclipse the inevitable post-nap gloom.
4. Finding a new hobby or activity can jumpstart your motivation again and make your more likely to care about school too. You’ll feel really responsible and wholesome if you come back from a long afternoon volunteering at the homeless shelter and sit down to a healthy set of math problems.
5. Think about how devastated you would be if your college rescinded their offer of acceptance. Personally, this is enough to send me into full panic mode and drive me to complete all homework due within the next week. At the very least, it’ll get you off the couch.

Good luck. Together I believe we can beat senioritis in whatever form it chooses to appear. Completing each task efficiently and quickly can reduce the risk of a new, stronger strain of senioritis emerging in the population.

The importance of having a prom date.

It’s not that important. Chill out. Go dance with your friends and have fun. Don’t spill ravioli on your expensive attire. In the words of a certain CB South librarian, “it’s not who you go to prom with, it’s who you leave with.”

The importance of a good promposal.

Super important. If it’s going to be in public, consult your potential date in advance so the promposal isn’t humiliating for everyone involved (unless you want it to be). Make sure you know what your date wants. Some people are okay with a simple “will you go to prom with me?” and others want the message written on their front lawn with gasoline and then lit on fire. It’s important to know your date – it could mean the difference between a yes and a no.

Your goal should be to elevate promposing to an art form, with planning, creativity, and enthusiasm.