by 
In 42 days, the very first day of my senior year will arrive… and the very beginning of my first full-time year in college. I used to enthusiastically inform my parents that “THERE IS NO WAY I AM STAYING IN MINNESOTA FOR COLLEGE!” …I full-heartedly believed that was true. I would go out of state to some lovely mountainous region and live a completely different, crazy, new life. I eventually realized that.. well.. I’m really not ready to go out of state. I want to stay close to my family, my hometown, and my dogs! I myself am an adventurous person, and some fraction of me wants to just get out of here right NOW and start off a fresh, western lifestyle; but for now, I am fully content staying in good ol’ Saint Paul. I spent a significant amount of my summer visiting colleges around Minnesota, looking deeper into major and career options, asking for letters of recommendation, and working at the Science Museum of Minnesota. Toward the end, I came up with a personal list of the top ten things I want to accomplish during my senior year… and here it is:
TOP TEN THINGS TO DO BEFORE COLLEGE
1. Pick top FIVE colleges (AND APPLY!)
2. Explore ALL interests/majors!! Look even more into specific careers and job shadow.
3. Keep up the volunteering!
4. Schedule an overnight stay at top colleges and visit them each once more.
5. Take classes you normally wouldn’t sign up for… maybe it’ll turn out to be destiny!
6. Save up some extra money during the year, and search for and apply for scholarships, as well as financial aid after acceptance!!
7. Boost your ACT score by taking it one last time in September.
8. Collect all letters of recommendation, and meet with your counselor often to make sure everything that should be done, is done!
9. Apply for an internship that takes place during the spring semester, or over the summer.
10. Cliché, but… HAVE FUN. Seriously! It’s your senior year! (Just remember: grades come first, of course). Create a college bucket list, as well as participate in senior AND college events at the U!
Well, once again, this was my personal to-do list for my upcoming senior year. I would definitely advise you to make your own! For your freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior year; it’s never too early to start preparing. Your own desires most likely won’t match up with mine, and I would love to here other ideas! What do YOU hope to accomplish during the year to get ready for college??
