Senior Year: Perspectives and Advice from Alexander-Smith Academy Seniors

Alexander-Smith Academy School Buzz editor Katy Boyd receiving the ultimate Christmas gift - an acceptance to her first choice college, Western Washington University. (Photo: Alyssa De Journett)

We’ve been imagining it for the past four years. When we were 14 to 15, we stumbled across the halls, oversized backpacks destroying our posture, schedule with the hallway floor plan glued in our hands. Sophomore year we grew comfortable with our surroundings, loudly and ironically picked on the “fish” but nervously laughed at the upperclassmen’s rowdiness. Sweet 16 and bittersweet 17 passed by and we were finally upperclassmen! We had our fair share of watching our older friends walk the stage and enviously watch their college experiences through our Instagram feeds. All the while, the class of 2015 hustled and bustled their way out – they were so close.

But now, the senior class of 2016 full heartedly took the bull by its horns, etched ‘SENIORITY’ into our brains and started booking graduation portraits as early as end of Junior year. 

After the summer and homecoming season honeymoon phase of senior year, we fell off our pink cloud and faced the fast-approaching, harsh reality: With high school coming to an end, a fresh, crisp chapter is waiting for us just by the flip of a page. Literally. Well, pages. Lots and lots of pages. Did I mention your entire future’s worth of pages? 

Now Presenting: Chapter 2: The College Years. If you were efficient and proactive, the start of your higher educational journey could have begun your Junior year with the (I wince just remembering it) SAT test, probably more than once. Thus begins the journey so long it would take more sequels and prequels and trilogies that even Frodo doesn’t dare cross.

This process was pushed back due to many series of unfortunate events of my doing and I reaped the consequences of the late start. Luckily for me, technology and advancements in online tools was my very own “Inventing the Wheel.” College application specified websites made the already stress-inducing situation of my ambiguous future decisions all in one page; sites like The Common Application and Apply Texas conveniently explained and aided me what box to check and how to fill out a Financial Aid and scholarship application like a less demeaning “For Dummies” format.

Hashtags for class of #2020 being tweeted and shared by peers making decisions really promotes the reality of the upcoming years. Big universities even help out with all the nitty gritty details of it all by connecting to our generation to where we are literally always connected to – social media! Colleges like Texas Tech, University of Houston, and multiple University of Texas campuses have set up official and personal online groups where prospective or admitted students can get to know more about the school itself, the staff, and everyone else just as new to this as you are. 

The Facebook page for the University of Texas at Austin, Class of 2020, has been a relaxed yet monitored way that I joined in order to talk to people from all the way from New York or California who have the same interest and goals as me. Posts ranging from asking bragging about the Texas weather to Northerners, looking for potential roommates, or even just compare Netflix recommendations make the entire concept of starting college less nerve-wracking but don’t worry, staff from the university. Even the Manager of Communications, Gretchen Pierce, who started working at the Austin campus a little over a year ago doesn’t get to see the admission perspective of the process but agree that her office overlooking New Student Services “leads orientation programming and helps students transition to the university, and the Facebook page is one tool we use to do that.” Just last year, the class of 2019 had around 7,000 members and started a university Snapchat page. Going with the times and resources today, she wanted to “united the incoming students [in order] to provide a community” before the year even starts; And I think that’s what college is all about.

Advice for this year’s juniors (#ClassOf2017) by Alexander-Smith Academy seniors: 

 “Start early. Like right now. Stopping tweeting about being ready for senior year or having ‘pre-senioritis’ and make SAT testing booklets and 24/7 Denny’s your best friend. You’re welcome.” -Madison Baty, Tarleton State University, Class of 2020

“Find a balance between taking advantage of your last few months in high school with your peers and embracing the change that requires maybe a little more effort than you’re used to.”-James Cravens, Savannah College of Art and Design, Class of 2020

“Who you wanted to be in fifth grade or freshmen year or even this year may be different when the time comes down to it. It’s okay if where you’re standing your senior year and the options you have aren’t the ones you expected or wanted them to be when you were younger; keep going. This isn’t the final call, you’re not done yet.”-Denielle Braxton, Undecided