Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Pacing Senior Year



Senior year of high school has a lot of moving pieces. As a student prepares for a life after high school there is a lot to do, especially if that student intends to go to college. If you look at these things as one giant to do list, I fear it appears overwhelming especially when you consider that the end result of it, leaving the nest, can present a lot of anxiety. However, if you break these tasks down and understand the timing of them, they are in fact manageable and that can alleviate a lot of the anxiety young people feel as they approach graduation.

The first step at the beginning of senior year is to get going with college applications. This is generally something that should happen in the months of September, October, and into November. For many seniors, this is a lot to handle. It’s a slap in the face at the beginning of the year that says, “Whoa, this is it. My life is going to be really different the next time summer rolls around.” So, I like to ease those concerns with a visualization. Imagine you are a hallway with a whole bunch of doors. Some of those doors are locked, but some will open. In the fall of senior year, all you are doing is reaching your hand out and testing door knobs to see which doors are locked and which will open. Your feet don’t move in this stage. You’re not choosing which door to walk through yet. Relax. This visualization represents the task of completing the college applications. Most students are going to get into some of the colleges they apply to and be denied admission to others. They’re just figuring out what their options are.

The FAFSA opens in October and students would be wise to get their admissions applications out of the way as early as they can in order to focus on this step. Parents will need to step in and help with this. Remember, just because a school offers you loans you’re not obligated to accept them. Students shouldn’t necessarily allow themselves to feel the emotional burden of student debt before they even have it.

In December, January and February admission decisions start to come back and students are getting a good answer as to which doors will be open to them. Then, hopefully in March and April, maybe earlier, it’s time to move your feet and decide which door to walk through. I hope that by then, seniors have had a little more time to process the emotions that come at the precipice of heading off into the big, wide world. Now, seniors can wrap their heads around which campuses are going to be legitimate options for them. They can start to get excited about roommates and new friends, their own dorm or apartment, a new city, the college lifestyle, etc. I think most seniors are just at a different place emotionally in March than, say, September and helping them pump the breaks on the preparation for adult life is really important to a successful transition.




Of course, once the college decision is made there is still work to do. Students and families, need to make sure financial aid is in order, secure housing, sign up for orientation, etc. At least by this point they’ve walked through the door of their choosing and ready for what’s on the other side.