How Your Teen Can Make Senior Year Great

For most parents, the arrival of a teen’s senior year of high school comes with a lot of both excitement and trepidation. After working toward a future that seemed far off, the time has finally come for your teen to graduate high school and head to college and into the real world.

After all of your teen’s hard work leading up to this point, it’s important for them to finish strong. Here are several tips to help your teen make senior year great:

1. Don’t slack off. Understandably, many teens lose motivation toward the end of high school. Help yours avoid this by reminding them to stick to a routine and study schedule, continue to think about and refine future goals, and keep in mind that college admissions officers do review final high school transcripts. They will not hesitate to revoke admission if a student’s grades drop significantly.
2. Focus on the future without losing sight of today. Your teen might be over high school and ready to move on to the next exciting stage in their life, but there’s still a lot of work to be done. It’s more than just keeping up in school and maintaining the GPA, too. Senior year has a lot of social opportunities and milestones to celebrate. Your teen needs to keep studying, doing homework, and devoting time to college tasks.
3. Create a college task calendar. There’s a lot to keep track of senior year, for both you and your teen. Print out Huntington’s senior year college application calendar, which will help your teen stay on top of all college-related deadlines from fall until graduation.
4. Maintain good relationships with teachers. Teachers can serve as mentors, write recommendation letters, and offer a wide range of guidance and advice for students as they navigate the end of high school and prepare for college. Make sure your teen is getting the most out of those relationships by participating in class, visiting teachers outside of class, and putting in the work.
5. Commit to time management. By now, your teen should have a good handle on what it takes to succeed in school. They must stick to the time management and organizational system that has served them well in high school. This will become even more critical in college.

Lastly, your teen should remember that there are many resources available during senior year. Teachers, guidance counselors, and school staff know that senior year is busy, stressful, and important. They have ushered many students through this time and are more than willing to help your teen stay on the path to success. Encourage your teen to reach out to them and you when needed.