by SYDNEY CHURCH - 5 Tips From Westfield Seniors To Westfield Non-Seniors.
WESTFIELD, Ind. (Dec. 2019) - Westfield High School will have just over 600 graduating seniors in the 2019-2020 school year. Most of them will move on, go to college, get a job, start their families. But there’s a lot of things society doesn’t tell you when you’re about to leave high school. These seniors have just a few tips for anyone who might need them.
1. Don’t Be Afraid To Be Yourself
Colleges want to learn about you. Don’t give them the same essay that hundreds of other students are giving them.
“The thing that [was] the hardest, was obviously getting my essay to be what I wanted it to be, and it’s more figuring out to not write what colleges want to hear but more what you want them to know about you,” Savannah Arvin (12) said.
2. Take Advantage Of What You’re Offered
Don’t waste your time. Westfield High School has so many great opportunities that students can use for their own good.
“Westfield has a lot of AP classes and I have been one to indulge in lots of those classes,” Arvin said. “Having those, it’s nice to know I won’t have to take them later on. I’ve had some really helpful teachers to encourage me, and my counselor.”
There are plenty of different things offered by the school. Classes for everyone, parent nights, college bootcamps; it’s hard to go wrong.
“Taking advantage of the college bootcamp was super helpful during the summer, and the common app workshops really helped,” Michael Simpson (12) said.
3. Use The Common App
The Common App is an undergraduate admission application, working hand in hand with over 800 schools.
“The common app made it a lot easier, and I wish more of the colleges I applied to would’ve used it,” Maggie Huntley (12) said. “I could submit it to most of them with a few additional questions which made it super easy.”
4. Spread It Out
Don’t wait until the last second. Start looking into things earlier and figure out what works well for you.
“I wish I would have known what colleges are good for me earlier in high school,” Huntley said. “Knowing more about what I wanted to do or being more prepared would have helped me during my senior year.”
This is an obvious problem many students face: waiting to throw all college requirements at students in their last year causes them to drown in applications and essays.
“I feel like most of the college stuff was crammed into the end of our high school years and I wish it would have been more spread out earlier to help prepare us sooner,” Mya Foor (12) said.
5. Keep Working, No Matter How Boring It Is
Writing essay after essay is bound to be mind-numbing. Try to find as much motivation as possible to get things done quickly.
“I struggled the most with finding the motivation to finish the applications and do things relating to college applications themselves,” Simpson said.
Use these types as you please, whether you’re leaving for college across the state or the country, don’t forget where you came from. Once a Shamrock, Always a Shamrock.