How to Have a Chill Senior Year
For many freshmen and sophomores, it’s time to consider what they want from their lives and how they can keep themselves on the right path academically. This is especially important because their decisions as an underclassman can impact whether or not they have enough credits to graduate at the end of senior year. In fact, they might even be able to graduate earlier or to finish their senior classes after fourth period.
Here are some ways that freshmen and sophomores can set themselves up for a chill senior year.
Show Up On Time
Some freshmen may lose interest or motivation for doing schoolwork, especially if they are constantly late or absent from school. It’s not uncommon for teens to be lazy when it comes to schoolwork, but it is important to remember that it’s your responsibility to get to school on time.
“When I was a sophomore, I used to go to school like two or three days a week,” says one anonymous Eastside senior. “Because my geometry teacher would not accept any late work that I had, I had to do the whole course all over again.”
If you are absent for a day, politely ask your teacher to post the work (from the day you have missed) on Google Classroom if they haven’t already. And, please, don’t make the mistake of assuming there wasn’t any work the day you were absent.
Skip The Distractions
It’s easy for a student to be distracted by their friends, even if their friends are across the room. Students are also frequently distracted by their phone. It’s not easy to pay attention to something that is not interesting, but it’s not impossible either.
“I have friends that have to redo classes just because they keep talking to each other,” says one Eastside senior.
To avoid ending up in that same situation, remember the following tips. First, whatever conversations you need to have, please do it whenever your teacher isn’t talking and you’re done with work. And, second, do not be afraid to ask questions on things that seem confusing, even if you have to ask multiple times.
Connect With Your Counselor
It is highly recommended for students to talk to their counselor at least once every semester. These regular check-ins allow students to keep up on their credits and to get help with anything else they might be struggling with. If you don’t talk to your counselor, you might find out as a senior that you aren’t on track to graduate because you’re missing some classes.
In order to avoid that happening to you, make sure you have the 230 credits necessary to graduate. If you’re behind, one way you can raise your credits is to go to summer school for any subject you would like.
As a freshman, it’s easy to want to be absent, not pay attention, lose motivation, and never talk to your counselor; it’s easy to fail. However, as a teen that is about to be a young adult, you have to take responsibility. Nobody wants to be a senior re-taking freshman classes. Please work hard and do well for yourself while you are still an underclassman. That way, you can be on track for a chill (and successful) senior year.
Because, freshmen and sophomores, your chill senior year has to start now.
