Graduation lurks one calendar month away. There’s so much I’d like to discuss–the Mueller Report, the Mississippi State Auditor’s assessment of how we spend too much money on administrative expenses, the brain drain and Mississippi–but I’m going for the low-hanging fruit first: seniors, please tell the juniors something you wish you knew twelve months ago. On the flip side, juniors, feel free to ask for advice on surviving and thriving your last year at MSMS.
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What’s a college and how do I choose one?
College is whatever you make it out to be. Depending on where you decide upon, it can be complete independence as an adult or just another school after high school. There are many, many factors that may influence your decision. For me, it all boiled down to financial aid, my intended major and, obviously, where I was accepted to.
Is the common app really as stressful as the seniors make it out to be?
How do you write a personal essay?
Senioritis is real. And it will come for you, even if you don’t expect it. Try your hardest to keep up with your work even if you really really really don’t want to. March- May are stressful. They may not seem like it now, but trust me they are. Take time for your grades, but make sure you make time for your friends to. After all, after you walk across that stage for graduation, you will NEVER all be together again. Cultivate your frienships so that they last through college. Go out when you’re invited, but stay in when you know you need to. Grades aren’t super important, but you need to keep a 3.0 or you might lose your spot for college. Don’t pull all nighters every night, but every now in then won’t kill you if you’re having fun. Realize that you will DESPISE this place as your senior year comes to an end, but you will also miss the people before you even leave. Community college is okay. State schools are okay. Getting paid for college is okay. Taking out student loans is okay. Do what feels right for you (after you’ve spent countless nights agonizing over it of course) Most of all enjoy your last year.
What’s a reasonable amount of colleges to apply for ?
I think a good amount of schools to apply to is around 5-6. A way to narrow your list down a lot is making a list of what you want and what you don’t want in schools. After making your wants and don’t wants list, do some digging to find out if the school is what you actually want.
Visit schools! As a junior, I visited most of the schools on my college list. The schools are very different in person and online. For almost my whole high school career, I said I wanted to go to state, but after visiting, I realized I really disliked that school. Visiting schools really helped me either cross them off my list or realize I loved the school.
How should time be managed and be set aside strictly for college applications? How long did it take you, on average, for each one?
I suggest setting aside an hour a day to work on college applications, considering the course load at MSMS. In state college applications took no longer than 30 minutes. However, for the colleges that require essay, I suggest taking the adequate amount of time to make sure they are well written and interesting. Go on college visits in the summer. Be familiar with what type of colleges you like and don’t like. Find scholarships to apply for in the summer. (I can’t stress this enough)
How do you guys expect your freshman to be different than MSMS? And if anyone is bored next year and is still lurking around this blog, what is the biggest thing you did not expect?
How did you figure out what you wanted to major in?
MSMS classes and researching. Growing up I thought I wanted to be a Geneticist, but after Cell Bio and Genetics I quickly yeeted that idea. I took an econ class with Dr. Hester and my whole world blew up. Think about the classes you speak in (like about the class) and imagine yourself doing that forever.
My biggest piece of advice would be to continue trying when you begin your senior year. plenty of seniors put on this guise of not caring anymore and being secure for college, but scholarships can be lost if you slip too much. A lot of the time a school will not rescind your application, but you need to make sure that you do not get accepted to an excellent school and then mess it up because you thought it was the end. School and caring doesn’t end until you pack your things up and head home from this school for the last time.Lastly, college doesn’t define you. You don’t have to get into three ivy leagues to be considered exceptional or smart. You don’t have to get into the best program at the best school. Just like here, college isn’t the end of your jounrey, it’s merely a stepping stone. So keep working hard, apply for scholarships, and have the best senior year here that you can. Get involved and have fun.
Does having a lot of experience matter to colleges?
Should deciding on a college only be based on the amount of money you get? What if I get basically a full ride from one school but don’t really like it, but then I get into my dream school but they don’t give me any scholarships?
Should I have a laid back schedule for my senior year or not? And how do people usually get scholarships and financial aid?
Your schedule is personal preference. I’m not taking any math [does logic and game count?] and I’m taking a junior English for the easy A. On the other hand, one of my friends is taking UE2, diff eq, and cal 3. It’s a matter of how much you think you can handle. When you apply to a college and get accepted, most give you merit based scholarships based on your ACT and GPA. Then after that, some will give you access to their scholarship portal where you can apply for me. I applied for a lot of outside scholarships like the Coca Cola scholarship, the Burger King scholarship, and several other small scholarships. Look online for scholarships that you qualify for and no matter how strange, APPLY FOR THEM. Financial aid is based upon your families income. Schools take that information from your FAFSA to determine how much financial aid you will receive.
Don’t compare yourself to the next student. Yes, either ACT score may be higher than yours and they might not struggle on the cal tests, but it is not a competition. No one will talk down on you because of such small academic bumps. Have fun and go out with your friends, even if you don’t have a car on campus. Some of my best memories are from walking downtown and taking the “shuttle” to the movies. Make a family among your friends. They may seem “weird,” but those will be some of the best bonds you will ever form. Talk to administration. Miss Janie and Miss Shelia Horton are among my favorite people. Don’t be afraid to tell your friends no because you need to study; they’ll understand. Office hours and tutorials are there to help you. Once again, no one will judge you because y’all are all there to learn. I know that during spring semester of junior year, you’ll feel as if senioritis set in early, but don’t rush it. Senior year is an emotional rollercoaster. From crying when realizing its almost time to graduate to stressing over college applications to feeling the excitement of getting into your dream. Senior year is the one for the books. Take lots of pictures. Study; the year isn’t over yet! Prepare yourself for the last time you and all of your classmates will ever be in the same room with you.
One thing I wish I would have knew before starting my senior is to start looking at outside scholarships. There were numerous scholarships that had deadlines in September and October. As a matter of fact, juniors start applying for scholarships NOW! There were a lot of scholarships that I did not qualify for because they were only for the class of 2020. My advice would be to start looking at scholarships and visit colleges over the summer if you are able. I would also recommend taking Creative Writing. This class has helped me tremendously with writing my life into a story. Yeah, sure in other English classes we write essays, but you’re not telling a story; you’re examining a poem, story, or essay. When writing essays for college and scholarships, the people reading your application don’t want to read basic, bland essays. They want a story that is captivating and attention grabbing.
I have the issue of my family makes enough money that I can’t get financial aid, but from the cost of college what we have still won’t cover me. I want to go to a great place and not just your average Ole Miss or State (not that there is anything wrong with those) that type of school isn’t for me. I also want to go to medical school after college and when I think of price I’m like “dear gosh I’m gonna be living with my parents the rest of my life to pay for everything” and I don’t like that. I know I can try for scholarships, but in the end do I really need to focus on a school that I can pay for and not have much in debt even if its somewhere I’m not fully happy at, or do I focus more on the place regardless of the price and how much debt I may end up in?
I asked my best friend, Lilian, for advice. She says to write down my 950 number and never forget it. Also, she told me to never get tricked into taking harder math classes (like linear algebra) because I will regret my entire life, and my gpa will plummet. She said that’s probably why she didn’t get into Columbia, and I want to get into places like that, so I’ll abide to her advice. Lilian also said that I should take as many chemistrys I can possibly take, but I might not do that… A certain teacher scares me… Overall, she seems to have a lot of advice regarding school, but it’s debatable whether or not I’ll actually take it.