5 Things to Do During Your Senior Year of High School

The last big hurdle before the great unknown.

Senior year. You're on top at last. No older kids to boss you around, take the solo, be the president of the committee — it's your turn. Finally. You've waited 3 long years to get to this point. Now what? How do you make the most of your senior year?

1. Start looking for schools.

Now. Yes, it feels like it'll be a while before you need to start applying for universities and colleges, but you need to start doing your research now, when your schedule isn't so busy. You don't want to study for exams and apply for schools at the same time. Start your search early. If you don't know what you should do, go to SchoolFinder and take the career quiz as a jump start.

2. Go to fairs and open houses.

You won't be able to hit every school during your March break, so it's important to get out to see your top choices as soon as possible. Lucky for you, there are lots of school fairs and open houses to attend — take a look at our Event Section to see when your top schools are hosting events!

3. Your courses and grades matter.

You need to make sure you're taking the right courses to get into the program you want, and you've got to have the grades to do it. Do your research to confirm that you have the right requirements. You can use SchoolFinder to check out your school's requirements.

4. Don't hide in your room and study every night.

Sure, it's important to get those good marks, but you need a social life as well. Make sure you partake in extracurricular activities, do some volunteering (they both look great on your transcript!) and just hang out with your friends. Reward yourself for your hard work by keeping up a sustainable work-life balance.

5. Start looking for scholarships.

Yes, now! Even though you're not in your undergrad you can still start your search for free money. Most awards you can apply for freely, but some, like the Schulich Leader Scholarships, you need to be nominated for. So do your research, talk to your teachers and guidance counsellors, and make sure you apply!