Inside the Mind of a Senior – October
Advice to Future Seniors During the Month of October
Senior year is filled with its ups and downs. Senior Projects are a thing, AP/Honors classes, and life in general takes up alot of your time senior year. The year you should be making the most memories is spent being nervous and scared of what the future has in store. Fear not future seniors, I too am scared and have no idea what I am doing. Most of us don’t, but props to the people that do have their life together senior year. Hopefully, this article will help you feel somewhat prepared for what October has planned for you during senior year.
Standardized Testing – SAT & ACT
With the limited amount of fee waivers you get (if you are like me and get Free/Reduced Lunch), deciding which test to take can be difficult. After taking the PSAT for three years you would think the SAT is the test you need; however, the ACT might end up being your better option.
The SAT and ACT are completely different test that are both accepted for college admission. It would be best to try doing your first test September of your senior year (or at some point in second semester of junior year). If you do the SAT, the highest level math asked is Algebra 2 so make sure you have taken the class or else you will be confused on how to work out the fill-in problems, no matter how much you study; the ACT asks more Math Analysis level questions. The ACT may seem more challenging but, unlike the SAT, everything is multiple choice. While there is history and science being tested in the ACT, you still have a 25% chance of getting the question right, so go ahead and bubble C as much as you want. It may seem more challenging, but the ACT may end up being the test for you. And if not, make sure to take those free SAT Prep classes and use Khan Academy.
Senior Project Drafts – Procrastinating
Words cannot express the amount of stress you will feel if you do not put time into doing your senior project. No need to worry about how it sounds, it is a draft after all, but you need to meet to line count before the due date. Also, google docs has an MLA format pre-made: use it to avoid errors in format for your rough draft.
Typing 144 lines may seem like alot, because it is. A +7 page paper is not something you can type in an hour, so get to work. It will also be chaotic trying to find a working printer that day so try to give yourself time to print it out a day or two in advanced. For all you AP kids who think you have it easy, I am warning you now that it will get worse. Unfortunately, you won’t have the leisure of re-using your junior year book report: so pick a book that you will actually enjoy. Thankfully, this is a rough draft and you have all of November to stress.
College Apps – Getting a Head Start
Hopefully you read the first section and have taken one of the standardized tests–or both. If you haven’t already, please, at least create your account for–Common App, UC, CSU, etc.–whatever school you plan on applying to. Most college applications are due in November, but man are they long. You don’t want to be filling this out two days before the due date with only one personal response done (and probably not revised). Colleges know the difference between an application done an hour before midnight and one that was done throughout the month.
This month is also FAFSA filling so be sure to get a head start on that. We all want money for college: so get that filed ASAP. The last month to file is March but some schools have certain deadlines so make sure you check the policy for the schools you’re applying to. No one wants to pay for 100% of the tuition.
Overall, this may be October won’t be too bad. After all, Night Rally is a great way to take your mind off of school just have fun with friends. College stress may be looming, but just wait until November when the real struggle begins. Go to the College Workshops in the library and chip away at the application. Make time to get all your homework done. Enjoy the spooky season and take part the Red Ribbon Week Spirit Days. This is your last October as senior: make it memorable.
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Jenny • Nov 19, 2018 at 1:50 pm
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