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It’s about that time of year again, back to school! And here at MyMajors we have the Top 8 Tips for Seniors!
1. Visit with your Counselor, Advisor, Teacher, or Mentor –
- These individuals are vital to being college and career ready, they know what it takes to be successful. If you need a mentor, talk with your favorite teacher. Even if it is your English teacher, they will have VALUABLE information about going to college and applying for a job, or can connect you with someone that might be a better fit for you.
2. Have you picked a major yet?
- Many students select their future college based on the academic strength of the their intended major. Plus if you want to major in Engineering, you might want to make sure your future campus offers that degree.
Take the College Major Quiz, 15 minutes and it will match you to a college major: Start Now.
3. Get a J-O-B and create a resume –
- Yeah we would all love to cruise through senior year and go to college, but you will soon be looking for internships while you are in college, and experience is key to getting an interview. Think about which field and major you are intended to follow, and find a position that you can gain experience and actually know if you will like it or not!
Resume Tips
4. Volunteer –
- employers look for volunteer work because it shows your dedication to help others, your communication skills and if you can work with others. Plus you are helping someone else and we promise you feel successful after completing the project!
5. Write down you top 5 colleges –
- If college is not right for you, write down your top 5 career fields you want to pursue! Having a draft of a plan will help you reach your goal and stay on top of your schedule…past seniors will tell you, this year will fly by!
Check out Annamarie’s tips for how to write down your Top 5 College Choices.
6. AP & Dual-credit –
- the one of the best decisions I made my senior year. I took AP Calculus, which helped me complete prerequisites for college, and I avoiding taking a few math classes my freshmen year…which unfortunately for them was very difficult and the average grade for the course was a C+, which can hurt your GPA your first semester!
IMPORTANT: make sure your future college accepts the dual-credit or AP course first!
7. Take or Re-Take the ACT/SAT-
- Most students take the test twice, in fact, you can take the ACT up to 12 total times – that might be WAY more than needed, but just in case! Most take it first their Junior year, then again in the fall of their senior year. ACT states a majority of students that retake the ACT more than once typically do better:
- 57% increased their Composite score
- 21% had no change in their Composite score
- 22% decreased their Composite scoreJust keep in mind what is right for you, the test is not free so you do have to pay fees to take the test.Helpful tip: you get to pick which of your scores get sent to colleges, so if you do worse the second time, you can still send your first test scores.
More info from our counselor Robert McClory about ACT & SAT tips.
8. Get involved in school –
- Sports, Student Council, Debate, Foreign Language Club, Business Clubs, Yearbook, etc. You can use these experiences in a future interview:
Interview question, “Tell us about a time you had to overcome a challenge?”
Your answer, “During my time as Treasurer in the Senior class student council, I had to manage the finances for class projects, dances, and events. We were short of finances for the year due to cutbacks, so I worked with the entire student council and administration to budget out the year to make sure we had enough money for our senior prom”.
Helpful tip: all experiences can be used in an interview, you just have to relate your experience with the position!
What tips would you give to high school seniors? Add your comments below!
For your enjoyment, a little Back To School song to get you ready…don’t miss your ride!
