As senior year is approaching for the junior class, preparation has become a necessity. It seems as if, every year, more and more seniors are caught off guard by the idea of college, or post high-school plans in general. Hopefully, this article will help lowerclassmen and juniors figure out what exactly they can be doing now in order to make senior year a bit less stressful, and to be able to carry out their ideal post high-school goals. Here are five tips I think would be especially helpful:

  1. Even if it is not required, it’s recommended. Do it! Take the extra year of math. Take advanced classes. Challenge yourself. A B-grade in an AP class is much more valuable than an A-grade in a regular class.

  2. Try to get some idea of where you want to go to college - if not a specific school, then maybe a specific type of school. Do you want to attend a public university? A private one? Look up some schools that you would potentially be interested in and see what their class requirements are. Do this NOW! If senior year rolls around and your dream school requires two years of art and you have none.. Well, you see my point. A lot of schools (especially schools outside of Oregon) require three out of four of: physical science, biology, chemistry, and physics. Classes like Oceanography and Astronomy would not satisfy their science credits, but would probably be valuable electives. These are the kind of things you should start researching now.

  3. Don’t neglect ANY scholarships! Even if you have to read a book or write an essay, it is worth it. I promise. Every little bit counts, especially if you start now. There are a lot of scholarships available not just to seniors, but occasionally to sophomores and juniors as well.

  4. Keep good relationships with your teachers, bosses, counselors, coaches, etc. Down the road, you will probably want to ask some of them for a letter of recommendation; make sure that they have something good to say about you.

  5. Lastly, and most importantly, DON’T WAIT UNTIL SENIOR YEAR! I urge you to not wait until the last minute to start thinking about what you want to do after high school, whether that be going to college or going straight into the work force. It’s important to know what you need for the future, so when senior year rolls around you are all set, and can enjoy knowing that your future is secure.