The exciting, haunting and memorable senior year is upon us, juniors. Our last “hoorah” before we enter the real world that every middle aged adult has warned us about. Anticipated “lasts” of every high school event and of course, graduation. But, before all of that fun, we need to get it together (unless you somehow really have it all together). Here’s a couple steps to keep in mind that will truly prepare yourself for the one and only, high school senior year.

#1 Organize/Plan: School work, sports, meetings, work, and activities consume most of your time as a student and can become quite messy when all put into one schedule for an individual. Before the busyness starts to consume your sanity, take the time to lay out times of all of your priorities and things to attend before they arrive, be ready for what you are able to. This not only helps you breathe for a second, but it also allows you to meet deadlines and remain slightly more in focus.

#2 Explore your options: Whether you plan on going to college, the military or work, there is a variety of paths with many options to experience them. When considering what route works best for you, remember two things: what you think you want and what you actually want are not the same thing and Google is one of your best friends. These two things are keys when it comes down to it all, because your gut feelings and research is what weighs out the options.

#3 Timing is everything: You have one school year, that is slightly shorter due to graduation dates. Therefore, BEING EARLY IS OKAY and being late, well, everyone knows how that goes. Waking up, due dates, attendance, scheduling and free time all work on this wonderful invention of 1656, a clock. Time management is the basis of all of these steps and will tremendously benefit you in the future, if you do it in a method that fits you best.

#4 People are here for a reason: Finishing the last year of high school can create senses of  eager, excitement and fear. With all of these emotions, it is important to remember that you’re not the only one who is feeling these things and you’re also not the only one who has been through this journey. You are not alone and there are plenty to calm you and lift you when you’re physically and mentally drowning in your work load. Seek out to counselors, teachers, well-rounded adults and peers. Remain curious and open-minded as this will balance you.

#5 Don’t forget to live: With all of your important dates and assignments to keep in mind, remember by the end of the day that you are human. As crazy as that phrase sounds, people tend to forget about their needs, whether that’s mentally or physically. Remember having fun is always enjoyable, but taking the time to wind down is a necessity.
Of course, there are many other ways to stabilize yourself before your last year of high school but these are just the basics. Remember that it’s the year of lasts, so make the most of it and have fun!