Four years of high school, quickly ending.

As another class of UHS seniors are preparing for the end of the school year, they look back on their high school years and think of all they have done and learned. With that, they remember mistakes they may have made, or things they wish they knew when they were underclassmen. Luckily, it’s not too late, and they can still share everything they have learned.

Choose the Classes You Want to Take

If you have a very specific interest and UHS offers classes for it, take those classes! “Not just because it is an AP [class] or a college course. Choose the classes you want to take,” Kelly McCarron said. High school is about finding out what you want to do, and if you just take classes for the credit or for your permanent record, you aren’t exploring what you like.

Take Advantage of FCC and CTC Classes

A perk of UHS is that we are offered free college and career classes. They can really help you in the long run. CTC (Career and Technology Center) can help you explore career paths, if you are seriously interested in a certain career or if you just want to try something. You also have the option of leaving campus for the CTC classes. FCC (Frederick Community College) classes will give you free college credit, so that when you are eventually in college, you’ll have fewer classes to take. You also get three days a week without the specific block.

Get Your Required Classes Out of the Way

“You don’t want to be doing classes you need to make up [during] your senior year. You want to have fun in your senior year,” Will Brookes advised. Your senior year is going to be stressful enough with college applications and graduation. Required credits would just be adding to the stress. So, get your required credits, it will be hard at first but completely worth it.

Nobody Actually Cares

Sometimes it may feel like everybody is judging your every move, but in reality, as James Barrows said, “Nobody actually cares.” Everyone is already busy worrying about themselves and school. They don’t have time to judge who you are and everything you do.

Go Outside Your Comfort Zone

It may sound cliché, but it is really important to step out of your comfort zone. “[Try] something you thought you would never try or get back into,” CeCe Heartford explained. “Just do it for fun and if you don’t like it, don’t do it again.” Stepping out of your comfort zone can help you discover new things that you love or want to do in the future. Do a lot of different things, don’t become tied down to one specific sport, club or class. You never know what you are going to enjoy.

Get Your Work in on Time

As soon as you get home, do your homework, or anything you didn’t finish during the day. Even if you think that it won’t be that big of a deal, the late work and assignments will pile up and, in the end, bite you in the butt. “Procrastinating and doing it [your work] at 3 am, one, the work doesn’t come out well and two, it just makes you stressed,” explained Davin Seifert. It will never be worth the late grade, it will be worth it to get good grades on your assignments. “Until your junior year, do your work, then when you are a senior, you can relax a bit more,” Arya Mahajan added.

Never Dwell on Your Past Mistakes

We all have done things we regret, but dwelling on those mistakes will just cause you more pain. You can always look back on your mistakes and reflect on them, and learn how to not make the mistake again, but never dwell on them.

Go With the Flow

It’s okay if things don’t go the way you expected them to. If something goes wrong, or you change your mind about what you want to do in college, it’s completely fine. Don’t try to make things go the exact way you want them to. Everything will work out in the end.

Just Have Fun

Find things to do outside of school. Whether that is an after school activity or hanging out with friends. “Do what you are supposed to, but don’t die doing your work,” Ryan McKnee warned. “Whatever you do, have fun with that.” You are only young once, enjoy your teenage years.

It Will Get Better

High school is hard. It’s a slow, long process. During this process, a lot of things will happen, mostly good, but bad things will still happen. Whatever you are going through will get better. Not just in school, but in life. It may not seem like it will ever end, but it will. You got this.

These are only just a few tips from seniors all across UHS. They have gone through anything and everything, a lot of this comes from personal experience. So take what they have shared, and remember it. It will help you as you go through highschool.