As a member of the class of 2018, today I am through with high school. Senior year was one of the most challenging, but yet rewarding of the past four years. Throughout these past ten months, I have learned and grown in ways I didn’t even realize possible. Here are a few pieces of advice for the rising seniors that I wish I would have known.
1. Time Will Fly By: Cherish It
Maybe you’ve heard in passing that senior year will go by in the blink of an eye, but like myself, you brushed it off. I’m here to inform you that this year will feel like it was one month long instead of ten. You will be busy first semester with college applications and counselor meetings, so by the time December rolls around you’ll be shocked at how quickly the fall passed. You’ll be a second semester senior in no time, and although you’ve been waiting for the esteemed title of “SSS”, you’ll actually be a little sad, realizing you don’t have that much time left at SAS. Cherish your time here, because it really will be gone before you know it.
2. Explore Singapore
Whether you’ve lived in this amazing country for one year or eighteen, it’s (probably) your final year here before you go off to university, or a gap year, or NS. In that case, skip this piece of advice. However, if you are departing from Singapore at the end of this year, make sure to go out and explore. There’s so much more to this island than Din Tai Fung and Orchard Road, and trust me, it’s more fun to find new places to fall in love with rather than what you’re used to. There are endless opportunities in Singapore for exploring, so leave your comfort zone and see what the city has to offer.
3. Spend Time with People You Love
If you’re heading off to college next year, you probably won’t be bringing your family and SAS friends along. Please spend as much time with them as you possibly can, because this is most likely your last year living as a child with your parents. After graduation, you’ll go into the real world and it will be so utterly different than it was during the senior year. It’s your final year being surrounded by classmates and friends from SAS, so make an effort to connect with people. Although SSS can get the best of all of us and make us lazy, it’s so important to go out and spend time with people we love before we leave them.
4. Everything Will Work Itself Out
One of the huge components of senior year is the college application process, and it can be extremely mentally draining. There are ups and downs to the process, and it definitely won’t be easy. However, it’s one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever experienced. There were moments of tears and sadness when faced with rejections, but moments of shock and happy-crying when acceptances roll in. In the end, everything will work itself out, and you will end up wherever you need to be. Have trust in the system and faith that whatever happens is okay.
To the Class of 2019, you have quite a year ahead of you. Enjoy it, and appreciate every moment. It seriously will be over before you know it. Best of luck!
