Rebekah, National Advisory Committee alumni.
	Maika, National Advisory Committee alumni.

Senior Year Despair

By Maika and Rebekah, former National Advisory Committee members and current college freshman

You're probably already feeling it. First you feel anxious and overloaded by looming deadlines, crazy exam-cram sessions, and a mad dash to add more extracurricular activities to your list. Then you feel brain-dead and completely incapable of writing another essay explaining why a college should let you in.

Whether you got into the school of your choice or are standing by the mailbox waiting for the thick envelope to come in, you know the stress—it's senior year. And if you don't know it yet—you will!

As National Advisory Committee alum and college freshmen, we want to help you get through this year—and prepare for the next. Check out our tips. It might help take some stress out of your senior year mess!

How to Make it through Senior Year

• Ask for letters of recommendation early—before teachers and advisors are swamped with requests. Have them send them to you directly in a sealed envelope. Then you can forward them on to schools when necessary.



• Make friends with your guidance counselor. That's how you hear about scholarships, internships, and other unique opportunities.



• Write fun and creative essays. Be unique—remember the panel is probably reading tons of these essays. Find creative ways to make yours stand out.



• Spend the night at the college you are interested in. See if you can sit in on a class or attend a weekend activity to get a real sense of the environment. If you have friends in college, visit them to get the low down.



• Be aware: graduation will be a bigger deal to your parents than to you. So be nice to them!



• Notice a lot of fighting in your household as your departure date draws near? Your parents will start tripping out once they realize you are really leaving for college. You'll find that you are arguing about crazy stuff. But that's because they love you and don't know how to express it. Be patient with them.

You Made It (Now What?)

You made it into the school of your choice (or of your second choice). How do you get along? Follow these simple rules:

• If you take early morning college classes, don't worry about getting dressed up. Most people just come in their sweats and go back to the dorms after class for a midmorning nap!



• Don't stress out over your classes. Ask people about your teachers' personalities and the class requirements. Advice from other students goes a long way.



• Pretend to be homesick once in a while when you get to college. When your parents think you miss them they are more generous with the care packages!



• Start thinking about your next semester classes early and befriend people in classes that you are planning to take. That way you can find out the lowdown and maybe score discounted books!



• Give your actual address to everyone. Email is good, but getting real mail (hopefully a care package filled with snacks) rocks!!!



• Be forewarned! The "I-slept-through-my-alarm-I-am-so-sorry" excuse only works a few times on each professor!

Final Words of Wisdom

Don't forget to enjoy yourself! Prom, Senior day, and graduation, only come around once in a lifetime. Don't get so caught up in the future that you miss out on what's happening now. Have fun.