Five Ways to Finish the School Year Strong

With the school year winding down, it's easy to get distracted and daydream about hang outs with friends, trips to the beach, and sleeping in until late.

While I'm a big believer in making sure students get to have some fun and restore some balance in their schedules, it's important to remember that the final weeks before the school year ends still make a big difference.

Here are five ways students can make sure to finish the school year strong: 

1. Stay on top of grades: Students should use these final weeks to maintain good performance or to put in the extra work to bump grades up. Some students get tempted to ease up a bit in their studies as the school year ends. They may be shocked to see their grades drop once everything is finalized. This is especially true for high school seniors -- seniors still need to submit a final transcript over the summer to their school of choice, so they shouldn't give their college a reason to rescind an offer.
2. Talk to your teachers: Freshmen and sophomores should start talking to their teachers about academic topics of interest and learning what local opportunities exist to explore them. Juniors should start identifying which teachers they plan to request letters of recommendation from for upcoming college applications. Seniors should go back to the teachers who helped them during the college application process and make sure to thank them for all their support. Better yet, a heart-felt card expressing gratitude would be an appreciated gesture.
3. Think about summer plans: There are many options students can explore to make the most out of their summers. Whether it be going away to summer programs or juniors starting the college application process, it's the perfect time to get focused without the competing priority of a full schedule of classes. I'll be going more in depth on summer options in another email later this month.
4. Submit applications to local scholarships with summer deadlines: Students should talk to their high school counselors and check to see if there are scholarships they're eligible for with deadlines during the summer. Every bit of money helps when saving for college, and even high school seniors can continue applying to scholarships beyond senior year of high school.
5. Participate in as many end of year school activities as possible: With so much going on with AP tests, finals, and projects, it's easy to decline all the fun end of year activities at school. When students look back at high school, these end of year activities are what they'll likely fondly remember. So, students should make sure to budget their time to allow for both work and play.

What do you think is the best way to make sure students finish the school year strong? Leave a comment here and let me know.