May is coming to an end, and you have your top five colleges narrowed down. The stress of prom has passed, and the Senior Exit Assembly is steadily approaching. Then, all of a sudden, you are racing across the buffalo mascot painting, trying to get across the gymnasium to take your new spots: as seniors. In that very moment, you think that senior year will be this cliche blast, when you magically maintain the good grades you’ve created the previous three years, and the college process will go flawlessly. Wrong.

Senior year is a slap in the face. After summer break concludes and you go to class that first day, your mindset suddenly changes, and it’s as if you can’t control it. Ditching class is not as big of a deal now, and homework gets pushed toward the back burner. Sporting events are now major priorities because making senior year memorable is the most important thing, and sleep is as precious as ever. Like it or not, every senior will find themselves in this position. It’s called senioritis. And, as the year progresses, your teachers will see you in the hallway and ask, “Where have you been?”. When this happens, you awkwardly smile and make up some excuse that you both know is a lie, but it gets you on your way. Those cute outfits you find time to put together in the morning will become a thing of the past, and waking up 20 minutes before schools starts is suddenly adequate. All of this is inevitable, it’s senior year. I went through all of these things, and much more. I can only pass down my advice to help all those juniors getting ready for their “big” year.

• Let me start with a one-word summary of senior year: procrastination. Let me be extremely clear, the urge will be there 24/7. Do not allow it. All of a sudden, all the assignments you’ve been putting off are all due in less than 24 hours, but there’s still a football game that you MUST go to. Chances are, you’re going to go cheer on the team, so do the assignments when you get them! As annoying and tedious they may seem, getting to the end of the semester and realizing that you have to do loads of make-up work is 10x more obnoxious. Like Nike says, just do it.

• Not only will school work pull you down, but sometimes your “friends” will too. The excitement of summer can sometimes carry into the school year, and you may become friends with people who you’d never expect. Be cautious, as these people may be temporary friends. As tans fade, and the school year transitions into fall, you may realize that these new “friends” aren’t really friends. You may have created amazing memories with someone, but that does not mean that they should remain in your life, as they can start to drag you down. It’s something that can happen very easily, and may not even be noticeable. Until, you suddenly aren’t feeling like the person you were before. Anxiety, sadness, or hopelessness are some of the feelings that may be experienced. Just because senior year is the conclusion of a stage in life, does not mean that you should ignore important things. Appreciate the friends that you have and that appreciate you. That does not mean you should not make new pals, just be cautious.
• This piece of advice is not only applicable to incoming seniors, but to life in general. That little bit of effort will make the big difference in the end. Studying an extra ten minutes at night, waking up a little earlier to be on time, or pushing yourself a little harder at practice. Whether it is in sports, academics, or another aspect, a little bit more effort in everything you do will show drastic results in the end. Most seniors don’t realize this until it is too late. Going to class instead of ditching to hang with friends is the difference between passing and failing. Take this for example; you have an 89% in science, but you decide to ditch and miss the opportunity to do test corrections. Now, instead of possibly getting an A, you sit a B. This can be applied to athletics as well. Champions don’t do what everyone else does, they go above and beyond. They are always doing something more than his teammate next to him. It doesn’t have to be anything huge, but small pieces add up to make something big. Don’t realize this in May when you are getting ready to check out, because it will be too late.

As a senior, you are going to make lifelong memories, with people you’ve grown up with. While this are important things in life, don’t forget why you are here. School should be the main priority, above sports and friends, so treat it like so. Senior year can be the most amazing time of your life, it you take care of business.