As the 2021-2022 school year comes to an end, many students are left wondering, what’s next? Seniors don’t really have a choice at this point, but many students have to start thinking about what they want to do after high school. Although it’s totally okay and normal to not know what you’d like to do just yet, it can still bring feelings of anxiety and fear that your high school years are coming to an end and you still don’t have a plan. It additionally doesn’t help that students are pressured to decide and know exactly what it is they want to do for the rest of their lives when we’re just 13-18 year olds. I will try and address more or less where you should be depending on your CURRENT grade and hopefully this will help ease some of that fear.

FRESHMEN:

By the end of your freshman year, you’re in a good position if you have kept up pretty good grades, joined clubs, and are involved in extracurriculars/school community in general. You should know that colleges/universities DO look at freshman year, so as long as you didn’t slack off, you’re in a good spot. Next year, aim to take difficult classes (honors/APs) and continue with clubs and extracurricular activities. You want to show colleges and universities what you’re capable of! Then again, only take classes if you’re truly interested in them. It would suck to take a hard class, and do bad in it at the end because you never even liked the class to begin with. Do what you believe is best for you according to your own abilities. Additionally, although it’s not required for graduation, I would recommend that you volunteer as well. Being involved in the community can help open your eyes up to potential careers and it also looks great on college applications and resumes! I would additionally recommend that you start looking at your hobbies, subjects you’re good at, things you like to do, what you want in a job, etc. in order to determine what you may want to do as a future career. Remember, you still have time! All you have to do is keep an eye out for what you like and don’t like. 

SOPHOMORES: 

Your last year of being an underclassmen is coming to an end! The fact that you’re going to be a junior next year can seem either exciting or overwhelming depending on your point of view, but you’ll do great nonetheless. You’re in a good spot if you’ve kept up good grades, are involved in the school community (clubs,sports, etc.), and have also done things outside of school, like volunteering, getting a job, or taking on leadership opportunities in general. Look back on this past year and think to yourself, what did I do? Were there any classes that you liked? Interesting lessons? Anything that caught your eye? Anything that you didn’t like? Making a list of these things can help you decide on what you may want to do in the future. For example, you may have taken a regular world history class but thought that you would have liked to go more in depth about the protests and human rights issues that have happened over the past centuries. Your possible solution: Take APUSH junior year and start looking at history/law/social service/international relations/communication careers. Just like that, boom! Your spectrum of potential careers is already narrowed down. Over the summer take an afternoon to sit down and write things down about your likes and dislikes regarding future careers. Finding volunteer opportunities, summer jobs, and internships could definitely narrow down your search as well. Stay calm and remember not to stress yourself out too much. Relax, you don’t want to burn yourself out. You still have time. 

JUNIORS/SENIORS:

Your junior/senior year is almost over and the beginning of the rest of your life is waiting around the corner getting ready to smack you in the face with a mallet as soon as you turn. You’re probably feeling a mix of emotions right now, maybe somewhere between excitement at finally going to college and then being on the verge of throwing up. Nevertheless, If you’re still alive, then you’ve done a pretty good job in my opinion. You’re in a good spot if you took difficult classes this year and did well in them, were involved in clubs/sports/extracurriculars/volunteer opportunities, and all that. By now, it’s a good idea to know more or less what it is you’d like to do in the future, but if you don’t, that’s completely okay too. Of course, the more prepared you are, the better, but don’t stress out too much if you’re still working out the quirks. FOR JUNIORS: During the summer, I recommend that you continue with volunteer opportunities and take on internships. If you haven’t already done so, make sure to apply to scholarships and start looking at colleges/universities/other after high-school situations that you would like to go into. In the case of colleges and universities, sign up for campus tours and make sure to make a list of what you may want in a campus. Do you want the school to be big or small? Is class size important? Student-to-teacher ratio? How close do you want to be to home? Does financial aid play a part in your final decision? Does that college have a good program for what you want to major in? What about campus life? How diverse is the student population? All of these things can help you decide on and find the college/university that’s perfect for you. FOR JUNIORS/SENIORS: If you’re still not sure on what it is you want to do, you can also always go in Undecided. If you change your mind halfway through, you can always change your major as well. It’s important to know that there IS room for mistakes and that so many people are in the same situation as you are. You’re not the only one. 

After all is said and done, make sure to give yourself time. Whether that be time to decide on what you want to do, or time to take a break from school, anything will work. You don’t want to burn yourself out and then be completely exhausted once school starts up again. You should challenge yourself, but make sure it’s not overwhelming! Trust me, if you do these things, not only will you be happier, but you’ll be more satisfied and content as well. Do what you believe is best for you, and trust me, you will achieve great things. Things will work out, simply because they have to. Have faith in yourself. Everyone believes in you. 🙂