Advice for Dealing with Your Senior Year

When you’re 15 and waiting for the day you’re eligible to get your driver’s license, the months pass so slowly they can seem the gestation period of an elephant. Fast-forward to your senior year of high school, and time can blur like the view from a frenzied, nonstop merry-go-round.

So what’s the best way for a senior to deal with the last few months of school—that tricky time of maintaining academic standards and friendships and planning for the future? Many students find that having a life guided and enriched by strong spiritual faith is the answer.

Keegan Ferris, a Delta senior, says, “My biggest challenge will be staying balanced—preparing for the future while realizing that I have the opportunity to influence younger kids daily. I don’t always do things perfectly, but God reminds me every night that tomorrow is another day. I’m just going to keep things light with my friends and live for the day.”

Wes-Del senior Josh Zimmerman adds: “Balancing time between family, school work and friends is already an issue. Your senior year requires lots of responsibility, but it also has many distractions. I’ve found that as along as I put quiet time with God first, the other things seem to fall in place and get done. That relationship gives me peace and calm about my future.”

Anderson University freshman Katie Crow (my daughter) offers perspective: “Surrounding myself with a group of friends who shared my values and beliefs helped support and keep me accountable. As for friendships, try not to project the future sadness of separating onto the time you have together now.”

And what about the great unknown after graduation? Katie suggests, “Pray about what to do and where to go. If a door doesn’t close, go forward; that’s probably God’s will. It may be just for a short time or a lifetime. Whatever you decide, God can use it to your and his advantage if you believe he will.”

This is Katie, the wise freshman