Guest Author - Cheryl Lynne Likins, M.A.

Senior year is exciting for high school students, parents and family members. Some might say it is more exasperating than anything else. After all, students are thinking about all sorts of things ranging from spring events like the prom and graduation, to grades, girlfriends and parties. Then after a few gentle reminders from parents and teachers, the reality sets in. High school isn’t quite over yet.

What is going to happen between now and next fall when high school fades into memory? Plenty will happen and you can count on some surprises along the way. Be ready for them. It’s true that you cannot anticipate every little thing that might arise. But, if you have a strategy to get through the barrage of events, then you should be able to regroup, if needed. So, how do you create a strategy? First, you need to actually sit down for ten to fifteen minutes and think.

Brainstorm

* Use a piece of paper (yes, the old-fashioned way) and a pen
* Write down key words or brief phrases about tasks you need to complete this year. Don’t worry if at first you cannot remember everything. Keep this paper and use it as your brainstorming sheet. Just write it down when the thought comes.
* Try to group similar tasks together on a new sheet of paper. For example, you might need to take the ACT, write your admissions essays and request letters of recommendation. You could group these items into one category called, “Admissions.”

Prioritize

Now that you have a first draft of what you need to tackle over the next several months, it is time to prioritize.

You’ll need a calendar for this part. If you have access to a computer, then you might want to use it to find out about important dates. For example, check the websites for each college you intend to make application. There should be a link for admissions. Check to see the deadline for your intended program. Write down the application deadline on your calendar for each school.
Repeat the process for your other grouped items on your sheet. You might have separate categories for financial aid, graduation, and scholarship applications. These are just examples. You might have just a couple of categories or several. It all depends on your personal situation and goals.

Plan of action:

Now comes the fun part. You need to create and execute a plan to get all of this done on time and well.

* Use a daily planner for all of your obligations, including school assignments, work, chores, recreation, doctor’s appointments and the like. Electronics are fine if you can be disciplined enough to key in everything.
* Transfer all of those important dates you just recorded on your calendar into your daily planner.

The next part requires a little more thought work. You need to integrate your deadlines for all the tasks you just outlined into your daily life. In other words, if you are in school until 3 p.m. during the week and later work a part-time job or play sports until 8 p.m., then you will need to plan time to accomplish everything. Obviously, homework is a priority, so don’t neglect it. Weekends might be better for some tasks like working on your admission essays or FAFSA. Anything that involves your parents such as the FAFSA, should be given to them, so that they have time to check the filing dates and complete their sections.

Whatever your personal situation is, make a plan to get everything completed well in advance of the deadlines. This is definitely a year where procrastination will not help.

Execute the plan

The last step is to actually execute your game plan. It’s basically a detailed schedule for how you will manage your life over the next several months.
Without a plan, the discipline and determination to follow through, you will at best be highly stressed and unorganized while missing deadlines. At worst, you might end up having to reevaluate your plans for college next year. It’s that critical.

Because it's so important, I'm sure that you are highly motivated and excited about all the goings on this year. Think about a successful conclusion to all of your hard work.

Go for it!

All the best!

Cheryl L. Likins, M.A.
Editor