Sixteen years of schooling, an endless pile of homework, and the day is finally here. It’s time to graduate! So, what now? The world awaits you, but there are some important things for you to do before you walk that stage. You’re going to get a diploma at the ceremony, but here are some tips for graduating from high school with your sanity intact:
Live in the present
School is stressful, but it doesn’t have to rule your life. It’s done! Now you can relax, sleep in, hang out with friends, and relax.
Don’t go overboard on parties.
Definitely don’t go overboard on the stress. You don’t want to spend your graduation night stressing over which college you want to go to; you want to celebrate the end of high school! Relax and have fun.
Get some sleep
It may be tempting to stay up late at night studying for finals or working on an art project, but try to stay awake during the day so that you can get a good night’s sleep before your big day. You’re going to need your energy!
Understand your options
Whether you choose to stay in education and go on to college, or you decide getting a job is more your style, you must know your options. Resources such as campusreel.org can provide details on entry requirements to most US colleges. When you’re choosing a college, don’t just pick the first one that comes along; do your research and look for one whose environment will really suit you.
Figure out what you’re doing next
While you may not have a job lined up for after graduation, make sure you know what your plans are for the next few months. This will help prevent you from getting panicked about finding a job in a few months and ending up in school again.
Start thinking about college now
As early as possible, take some time to think about which colleges you want to apply to and research them. You don’t want to make this decision just two weeks before the application deadline. You can also make sure that you have all of the right materials, like extracurricular activities, grades, transcripts, and SAT scores.
Don’t forget to make time for yourself
During high school, it can be easy to get caught up in your studies. That’s because it’s all you think about – and don’t forget you’re a person, too! Try to find some time every day to do something that you like: hang out with friends, play sports, or do whatever makes you happy.
Don’t lie
It’s tempting to lie about your grades or to claim that you were involved in extracurricular activities when you really weren’t. However, you should never do this: Colleges will check up on your application, and if they find out that you lied, they’ll reject your application.
It’s not just about college
Just because you’re getting a diploma doesn’t mean the job hunt is over. You’ll need to get a job or apply to college, but why not do both? You can always get a college degree later if you decide it’s too hard to find a job now.
You’re about to get your diploma, so enjoy the moment and relax. There’s no time to stress out because you have a bright future ahead of you. Whether you go straight into the world of work or study a little more first, there’s no doubt this will be a fantastic time for you. Congratulations!
