Back in October, I was one of several seniors who gave the keynote “What We Wish We Had Known as Freshmen” to incoming freshmen. I lectured on things like going to PLC, using accordion folders, and getting enough sleep. By now, however, everyone (or at least most of us) has made it through and has turned their attentions to summer.
Past the looming wall of AP testing, IRPs, and formaldehyde-infused cats, summer awaits.
Here’s the bad news, though. What I wish I had known as a freshman was that summer is the time of the year with the most potential for your academic growth, purely because you are outside the classroom. There is no excuse to waste your summer, and that means getting out of bed and doing something worthwhile.
Rising sophomores often find themselves at a crossroads: They’ve just finished the first, and some would say hardest, year here. They’ve either grown stronger from the struggle or are considering giving up and returning to their home campuses. No matter where they find themselves, that summer is still important. These freshmen need to do two things: Get their learner’s permit, and find a new passion. For me, it was cooking, and that passion has earned me more respect than my other charms ever could, and even won a few awards.
Rising juniors, you’ve earned a pat on the back. You’re almost halfway there; you’ve cared about Powderpuff, you’ve chopped up cats and you’ve actually tried to win the Christmas Tree decorating contest. Now you need to do two things: get your license and get a job, in that order. Nothing will imbue you with freedom like being able to drive where you want and pay for gas. Driving gives you the freedom to do any extracurricular you want, go anywhere, see anything, and have a great time doing it.
Juniors, listen to me very closely when I say this: Senior year is not easier than junior year. It is harder. You should spend your summer making the final push for college. Take an extra class, or take that elective you never got around to taking. Start your college applications on Aug. 1. But have fun, too. Go someplace you’ve never been, and soak it in.
Seniors, you can finally bid adieu to stats tests and timed writings; adulthood starts now. All I ask is that, even as you rush to pack for college, buy textbooks and regret that which you didn’t do in high school, you remember and cherish your friendships before you go. It’s undeniable that as we go out into the world, friendships will fade, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t form some of the most lasting memories while we are still here.
In eight weeks, summer will beckon. What will you do with it?