100 Days of May: Seniors

In high schools, teachers and administrators will jokingly refer to the “one hundred days of May,” a terrifyingly exciting time when schedules swell with events, traditions, and ceremonies celebrating the impending end of the school year. Teams compete for championships, stars take one last turn onstage, artists hang their works in classroom-to-gallery spaces, and everyone starts to look ahead to a well-deserved vacation. 

For seniors of course, May is also filled with important preparations for the next steps in their educational journeys. The chaos of this year’s FAFSA rollout has altered the traditional matriculation decision timeline for thousands of students and families. Traditionally, May 1st acted as the “National Candidate Reply Date,” a date that hundreds of colleges and universities utilized to secure matriculation agreements. Many colleges have offered flexibility around this date for students who do not yet know their full financial aid offers, and, for those students, the “one hundred days of May” feel even longer. 

Regardless of whether your senior knows where they will attend college next year, seniors should ensure a strong finish to their high school careers. Given the intoxicating nature of “senior spring,” this strong finish can sometimes be elusive. Keep the following things in mind:

1. Grades still matter. Sometimes, seniors will reply to an offer of college admission and completely abandon their high school studies without remembering that those admission offers are contingent upon the successful completion of high school. For highly selective colleges, “successful completion” means maintaining consistency in the high school record. Seniors who have a letter grade fall more than two tiers (i.e. that “A” becomes a “D”) run the risk of having an offer of admission rescinded before matriculation. While a senior may choose to take their foot off the accelerator in the classroom, they must keep the car moving. 

2. AP and IB exam results can earn you college credit. While seniors should definitely check the credit awarding policies of their intended destination, most colleges and universities will give credit and/or placement for strong AP and IB examination results. These credits can be useful in reducing the amount of time needed to earn a degree and can give a learner some insurance in case a college class does not go well. While it can be difficult to summon the motivation to succeed on long examinations in May, the benefit of a strong performance will outweigh the pain of having to prepare for the exams. 

3. Conduct matters. We all know that 100 days of May can also have 100 nights, and sometimes those nights can be filled with temptation. Some of those temptations may lurk in good natured traditions–senior pranks, senior skip days, proms–events and experiences that should be enjoyed. It’s very important to know where the boundaries of conduct lie during these events, however. A prank gone wrong, a skip day that becomes a skip week, or a prom event where poor decisions are made can have lasting ramifications when it comes to an offer of admission. If your high school takes disciplinary action against you before graduation, that action can and should be reported to your intended college or university choice. Again, your offer is contingent upon a successful completion of high school, and disciplinary misconduct can threaten that completion. 

4. Plan for a fun summer. While this might not be everyone’s favorite thing to hear, the reality of the overscheduled adolescent means very little down time. High school summers can often get filled with activities meant to burnish a resume, and that will certainly be the case once college begins: summers become times for internships and research experiences. I would argue that the summer between high school and college is the last “real” summer of adolescence. Therefore, it’s a great time to be a kid. Go to the beach, travel with friends, get a job that will pay you money and keep you occupied, but don’t do too much. There will be plenty of time for that later. 

Tomorrow, we will give our juniors (and their families) some advice on how to make the most out of their one hundred days of May. And if you are a high school student or a parent/supporter of a high school student and want to learn more about us, reach out to info@forshoreed.com today!