The Importance of Now

Konnor-Ashley Randlett, Features Editor

Whether you are a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior, we all share one goal: graduate from high school. The more you prepare now, the less stress you will have when senior year comes around. Contrary to popular belief, for the first semester, the last thing seniors are thinking about is graduation. There is something much big hovering over the heads of our Senior Bobcats: college.

There are always things you can do to help your future self when it comes to college and graduation. The most important thing you should make sure of is that you are taking all classes needed for graduation.

Once that is done, get yourself familiar with Naviance and College Board. It may seem premature, but it is never too early to plan for your future. Make a list of colleges you may be interested in and the criteria needed to be admitted. Make sure you include things like their GPA, SAT scores, ACT scores, what AP credits are accepted, acceptance rate, where the school is located, and how many attend that college.

If you make a list of twenty colleges you may be interested in, as you grow and mature you can adjust the list and have more specific criteria. The more options you have, the less you will worry. Think of it like this: the more you do now, the less you do later.

Procrastination is not and never will be your friend. As an upperclassmen, procrastinating will lead to your ultimate demise.  You cannot go back in time, but you can be grateful of what you have already done. You are helping your future self be less stressed.

Four years seems like a long time, sometimes feeling like eternity, but trust me, time flies.

Even if you are a junior or senior, now is still the time. It is okay if you have not been worrying about college but now is the time to help yourself and proactively plan for your future. Know what colleges you are super interested in and make plans to visit some of them. Take the SATs, focus on school, take some hard classes, and do all your homework. Getting full credit for homework can do nothing but help your grade and help you learn and comprehend material.

No matter what grade you are in, now is the time to help your future self out. Anything you do now dealing with college and graduation is one less responsibility when it is time to make decisions. Take a deep breath and take control of your own education. You will not regret it.