TO THE CLASS OF 2016:

Senior year flies by. I know you’ve all heard this a billion times before, but it’s as true as it gets! I swear it feels like yesterday that I received the glorious email telling me that I had a full year parking spot (whoever has spot 158, treat it well!) and was decorating my car with my best friends the day before school started. It’s hard to believe that that was already a year ago. Please, please, PLEASE try to make the most out of this year!

It is definitely not too late to try new things and get involved senior year! Don’t join clubs or participate in activities just to build up your college application, though, because even though it may look good on your application, it’s more worthwhile to put your energy towards something you’re really passionate about or interested in. Who cares if you’ve never played lacrosse before? And so what if your friends think chess is lame? If you want to get involved, why not go for it? Try something you’ve never tried before, and you may even surprise yourself with how much you love it!

Your friends are SO important. It’s your last year being with all of your friends, so really value your time with them. You’ll realize how much your home friends rock the moment you have to leave them. I’m telling you now, home friends are the best friends.

College apps are a real pain in the butt, I know. But don’t make the same mistake I did and procrastinate. Your work won’t be your best and you’ll regret not having enough time to show these colleges what you’ve really got. Get them done ASAP and save yourselves from the stress that comes with leaving things to the last minute.

And in regards to senioritis…it is SO real. Laziness gets to the best of us, but don’t slack off too much. You might think you’re in the clear to completely relax after you get your college acceptance letter, but colleges can take back their acceptances! Plus, your teachers will really appreciate it if they see you working hard through the end of the year. So go the extra mile, keep studying, and keep learning. A little extra knowledge never hurt anyone, you know!

So study hard, get involved, and have fun! Senior year was my (and many of my peers’) favorite year of high school; don’t let it go to waste! Don’t stress the little things, and enjoy. Good luck this year! I can’t wait to see what the class of 2016 has in store.

Love always,

Sarah Kim

Class of 2015