A Letter to Current High School Seniors

Last month, I wrote a letter to the parents of high school seniors. At one point, I said I would be writing a letter to those students. I have kept my word since then, so this post is that letter. Also, I am hoping to publish this as soon as possible because I am planning to take a little break from my Instagram account so I can avoid spoilers for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Normally, I don’t see any movies during its premiere, so I am not sure how long my break will be. However, once I see the movie I will be back on social media, but I will still be working on blog posts in the meantime.

To the current high school senior class,

I would first like to start off by asking, how are you, like really, is everything going okay?! I know that senior year in high school is stressful because not only are you dealing with a heavy workload, you also have college applications to submit, and study for the SATs and ACTs. Plus, there is also the long and dreadful countdown to graduation and it can seem far away. I totally understand that, because I have been in your shoes, and it wasn’t that easy. There were some challenging times where I thought it was impossible to survive, but here I am 6 years later out of high school. (Yes, I know I am not at a good point in my life, but it isn’t as bad as what I dealt with in high school). I have already written a separate letter to your parents, so if they haven’t, please redirect them here. Today, I write this letter to provide you with some comfort as you deal with the craziness of senior year by giving you some words of support, along with sharing a bit of my experience of my senior year in high school. If you are not a high school senior like a junior, sophomore, or even a freshman, this letter will also apply to you in anticipation of what to expect for your senior year, because it will be here before you know it.

Look, I know a lot of you want to be out of high school already because you are sick and tired of the drama and stress that came with it. If you’ve actually enjoyed high school, then I am happy for you. But whether or not you hate high school, the one piece of advice I have for you is, DON’T SLACK OFF! I know that you are in the homestretch of walking across that stage to get that diploma, but don’t start celebrating too early. Colleges continue to look at your grades even after applications have been submitted, so if you blow off those grades in the second semester, then there is a good chance your application could get rescinded. Also, don’t do anything stupid that will prevent you from graduating like destroying the entire school for a senior prank (if your senior class is planning to do a senior prank, then go ahead. However, please check with your school before pulling off the prank to avoid any actions that you might regret). Also, I know that keeping those grades up can be stressful especially if you are taking an honors class like an AP. Therefore, I also want you to save time to take care of your mental health. That is the biggest priority in order for you to do well academically and physically. Senior year is not an easy year, and doing well in addition to getting into college can give you a lot of pressure. Don’t forget to take a lot of breaks in between, and if you need to reach out for support such as a school counselor, your friends, or even your parents. (In my letter to your parents, I did tell them to give you lots of support no matter what, so if they are not giving you the support you need, again please redirect them to this letter).

Since you are also studying for the SATs and ACTs, I commend you for putting in all that effort. Those exams are very brutal, waking up early on a Saturday just to sit four 3-4 hours answering a million multiple choice questions. Honestly, I think those standardized exams should not be used to factor in college applications. (Actually, there are a lot of colleges not requiring test scores for admission due to the pandemic, so if you are applying to one of those schools, then good for you). Plus, for most of the concepts that are on those tests, you probably won’t use them in college. Same thing for your high school classes, if you don’t like any of the classes you are taking, don’t stress about retaining everything you learned because you might not use those concepts in college. In college, you are the one who decides on your major, and gets to choose your own classes. In fact, after taking my last exam in high school, I asked my teacher if I will ever use the concepts I learned in that class in college. That class was of course physics, and I ended up being a business major, and they straight up said no. As you see, I have good faith you will survive your senior year of high school, as long as you continue to persevere in your classes, and everything is going to be okay.

I also want to acknowledge those whose senior year hasn’t gone the way they wanted it to be, the ones who have struggled throughout high school, and the ones who aren’t as popular. I happened to be all of the above when I was a senior in high school. My senior year didn’t go the way it had planned: I didn’t end up taking any AP courses, my grades were not as stellar, and I felt like an outcast when compared to a lot of my classmates. However, I still managed to make the most of it despite it not being perfect, and by the time I got to college, I left all of that behind. Sometimes, things may happen out of your control and you can’t go back and change all of that. That is what happened during the pandemic in which everyone’s plans had to be changed, but we still made the most of it and survived. So, even if you don’t end up taking any AP classes, or you don’t end up winning state championships for your sports team, take that chance to stay in the present, and work hard in the classes you have, and make your own senior year memories. Speaking of which, don’t compare yourself to your classmates based on their popularity and college plans. Everyone is bound to go on a different path when they graduate high school, and college is that first step into adulthood to make your own decisions. If you spend time comparing other people’s path, you lose focus on paving your own path. Also no one in college cares about your popularity status or intelligence from high school. Remember, no one can prune you from your timeline, it is perfect like everyone else is, and despite the struggles that you have wandered upon, they will eventually lead you to the future you want.

Back in my letter to your parents, I told them to not get upset if you get bad grades, and that they should let you decide on the college you want to attend. Not everyone gets into their first choice or dream college, and I was one of those people. My first college application was a rejection, and my second one was a waitlist turned into a rejection, and it wasn’t until my third when I got my first acceptance. In Spider-man: No Way Home, Mary Jane or MJ, says to “expect disappointments and you will never be disappointed” as she awaits college decisions with her friends. She does not end up getting into her top college, MIT. However, after a huge memory wipe spell thanks to Spider-man and Doctor Strange, she ends up getting accepted (SPOILER)! Unfortunately, there are no magic spells that can reverse college rejections into acceptances. At first, a rejection can feel gut-wrenching especially if it was a top college, and you did everything in your application to stand out. However, if we can remember to “expect disappointments,” it will be easier dealing with rejections. Therefore, don’t take it personal, and focus on your applications for other schools because rejection can also be a sense of redirection. Eventually, you will end up choosing and attending a school you will love, and it may not have been one of your top choices. As I said earlier, college is the first step into adulthood, and you will be one who spends 4 years at this college. Just like I said to your parents, where you end up going to college is up to you, and no one else. It doesn’t matter if you end up choosing an Ivy League or a small university, it all depends on what you want in a college based on your major, your extracurricular activities, the financial aid options, and even the location. I ended up choosing a small university that was out-of-state. The deciding factors were the financial aid package I received, and my experience when I visited the college during spring break. I also wanted to experience living out-of-state, but my dad kept pushing me to stay home, and study at the local university. However, that didn’t stop me from pursuing my college plans. Even if people think that the college you want to attend is not right for you, don’t listen to them and start paving your own path because you will be happy with whatever decision you make.

Even if you don’t end up going to college, take a gap year, or attend a community college, that is totally fine, it will not ruin your future. A typical four-year college is not for everyone. In fact, there are tons of people who didn’t take that route, and still managed to be successful. What matters is that there are a lot of great opportunities after graduating high school. So, if someone is not happy you don’t decide to go to a four-year college, prove them wrong by continuing to work hard toward your goals.

I know some of you have already started to submit your college apps, and you will have others to submit early next year. I don’t have the best advice for the essay portion of the application, since the prompts have changed a lot since I last did it. However, all I can tell you is to be yourself when writing, tell your own story and that will make your application stand out. I wish you the best the luck for the rest of your senior year, don’t forget to take time to take care of yourself. Pretty soon, it will be the holiday break which ends the first semester meaning you will be halfway there. By the time the second semester rolls around, it will be a little bit easier but remember, don’t slack off! It can be easy to get senioritis around that time, and maybe some of you already have it. I also hope you get accepted into your top-choice colleges, and even if you don’t that is okay. You will end up attending a school you will be happy with, and that is all that matters. I hope you find this letter encouraging, and gave you some relief, and lastly, congratulations on this big milestone in your life.

Best of luck,

-Lyss Ku