Picture this, it is senior year, mid-April, graduation is less than a month away, and you are scrambling to decide what you are going to do after high school. Sounds crazy, right? Surprisingly this is a problem for a lot of students. Most young adults are extremely excited to graduate, but forget to ask, what next? To try and battle this problem I decided to focus this column on all things college, freshman to senior year.

To begin, let us start with freshman year. The first year of high school is easily the most important; you should start the year with a clear and determined mindset. The grades you make, the clubs you join, and friends you acquire will set the tone for your high school career. Speaking of jobs, freshman year is a great tie to start researching who you are. Ask yourself what your future looks like and what job you see yourself doing. Mrs. Atkins offers a test called the ASVAB, which is a great resource for figuring out what special skills you possess.

Next up, sophomore year! This is the year to start working on the ACT! Old test questions and lengthy practice test are available for FREE online almost everywhere. The ACT is a big deal, and if you do not prepare, you may be blindsided by the difficulty. Also, try to take some difficult classes, just to push yourself to be the best student you can be; college classes are not easy!

Moving on to junior year, it is time for more…ACT? Yes, sadly the ACT is not going anywhere anytime soon for all juniors. Good news though, there are plenty of adults around Central willing to give you all the help to score that perfect 36! The junior year is also a great year to start researching colleges. Things such as cost, distance from home, and size are good factors to familiarize yourself with! If you tend to consider yourself an extrovert who likes to go home every other weekend, you may want to pick a large school close to home. It is also a good idea to make a list of your top schools along with a couple back-ups; once you have narrowed down your search a little bit you can email those schools and ask for more information.

Senior year has arrived; you made it! The first four months of the senior year are easily the most important. Scholarships deadlines are coming up, and colleges want to know where you are going! Websites such as Naviance and The Common App are great places to start the college process. Once January passes, you should be on the track to graduate and ready to begin a new chapter in your life!

Before I leave, it is also wise to ask yourself, is college the right choice for me? Some students find their passion in the military or special technical programs. Going to college is not everyone’s destiny, and there is nothing wrong with deciding on another path.

Last week I left with some pretty interesting truths, one being I do have a very overweight pup and two, I did eat 32 pizza rolls in one sitting. Sadly, I have broken some bones, mainly on my wrist. It turns out when climbing cabinets, carefully deciding how to get down is a big deal! Anywho, that is all in the past: here are this weeks two truths and one lie

1. I once caught a pufferfish at the beach.
2. I once owned a rabbit named Celine Dion.
3. I have never had a single cavity in my life.