Some Advice for Seniors from a DRSS Alumna

A special advice blog to DRSS seniors written by a former STEM Inquirer writer, Hope Ezell.
 
Yo, seniors. I got some advice for ya.
 
Senioritis is going to happen; there's really no avoiding it. But the second it starts affecting your grades, you need to figure something out.
 
It's okay to change your mind about your major. I was one of those people who knew what they wanted to study since elementary school. However, towards the middle of senior year I realized I actually kinda hated what I was going to study. Don't be afraid to change your mind, but be decisive.
 
Get to school on time. It's really annoying when people are still walking into first period twenty minutes after it begins.
 
Don't skip auditions or tryouts because you think you're not good enough. You might actually be more prepared than you think you are.
 
Do not sign up for things you're not really committed to. Believe me, I've been on both sides of this scenario. When you're the person trying to get people to complete a task and no one listens, you end up extremely stressed and neglecting other things. And when you are the one who isn't committing, you aren't really enjoying the activity; you just feel like you're being nagged.
 
In slight reference to #5, don't join National Honor Society just because you have the grades for it. If you won't put in the work, don't even apply.
 
Write in a journal, make a scrapbook, or take photos. You might never see some of these people again. And you might not want to. But still.
 
Don't freak out about being rejected by your dream school. In my grade alone there were rejections from Princeton, Harvard, Northwestern, MIT, Case Western... it doesn't mean you're a bad student.
 
But you could get into your dream school. I had a classmate get in to the naval academy, so. Don't give up.
 
Ask for recommendations early.
 
That is all.