Senior’s Survival Guide

Meeting standards.

That’s what senior Madi Davis has to do to be admitted into MSU.

Although Madi has already committed to MSU for soccer and only has to meet the minimum acceptance requirements, preparations for college have still been hard as she sets her own goals.From taking dual credit classes to asking for help in a math class she hasn’t even taken yet, Madi has one goal in mind throughout this process: getting through senior year.

“I’ve already taken college classes,” Madi said. “I’m taking Earth, Wind and Fire and I’ve taken my first level of English, and so, preparation wise, I’ve just narrowed down the guidelines and I’m just knocking out some hours so can dedicate myself more to soccer.”

Another requirement is to take the SAT/ACT, which is recommended to be taken your junior year.

“Somebody who takes the tests their junior year will already know what to expect and have some practice,” college advisor Carlos Rios said. “They’ll have some exposure to it so they’ll know how to better respond to their second test and there won’t be any surprises they may have felt their first time.”

In order to help students, Rios has cram sessions as well as online resources for studying for both the SAT and ACT.

“Mrs. Johnson has a lot of workbooks in her office and those have a lot of helpful information from the exams,” Rios said. “Sometimes other students work well with online resources. I give students free accounts for Method Test Prep and that gives a lot of personalized help with SAT and ACT and actually the new SAT.”

It is recommended to start the college application process early so that students are able to meet deadlines.

“Mrs. Johnson and I have to be honest with students and tell them they should’ve started a long time ago, ideally in their junior year,” Rios said. “That’s probably the biggest piece of advice I can give, just to start early on the whole thing so that you can alleviate stress for the rest of the semester.”

College and career counselor Julie Johnson suggests looking at college websites to see if that school meets the student’s needs.

“College Board has a great website called Big Future,”  Johnson said. “Just look at different colleges and do your research and just begin to explore, that’s very important your senior year.”

Although preparing for college is important, Johnson also wants seniors to enjoy their last year and not let decisions bog it down.

“I just want you guys to dream,” Johnson said. “Think about what it is you really want to do and don’t be afraid to look outside the box.”