Senior Advice

As the school year comes to an end another class of seniors will be graduating and leaving Masterman. But before they leave seniors spoke with Voices and impart some wisdom that they obtained during their time at Masterman. 

What advice would you give to your freshman self?

Get involved. There are so many cool clubs and sports I wish I had joined earlier. It’s such an easy way to meet more upperclassmen and make friends who can help you later on. Also learn to manage your time well. I think it would have been way more helpful for me if I had developed a better system for myself earlier. You'll thank yourself later if you have a good study system early on because it does get really busy. 

The only advice I have for my freshman self is try harder. I skipped so much class because I thought freshman year didn’t matter but I’m now coming to find out it does indeed matter. Don’t get a D in Geometry. 

Enjoy it while you can. Time goes by faster than you think. 

My advice would be to not compare yourself to others. I really stressed myself out for years comparing myself to others but in reality, everyone was just doing their own thing. Everyone is going through the comparison thing too and you are not alone in that. So I would say try not to compete and try not to compare.

Join clubs and sports, make the most of your high school years, hang out with your friends after school. Socializing really helps in this place. 

As a freshman, I did not study. I just didn’t know how to do it. In middle school, I never got in the habit of studying so I thought that in high school I wouldn’t have to either. I was wrong and it took me a long time to learn how to do it. Learn how to study early. 

Do not do nothing after school, it's stupid. It is good to challenge your body, it is good to challenge your mind. Looking up to upperclassmen was so nerve-racking for me and so intimidating to me because the upperclassmen in the clubs I did were really cool. While it was challenging and intimidating to be in the same experiences as them, it made me really feel like I was in high school. If you don’t understand that there are people older than you, cooler than you, people who you can learn from, you are not going to have a full high school experience. 

Get to know more upperclassmen that give you the high school scoop. It’s so important to have someone give you advice on things they’ve already experienced themselves 

Do you have any advice for rising seniors specifically?

College applications can be such a stressful time, especially watching everyone around you too. Keep pushing through, start your essays early, and talk to your teachers. A lot of mine gave us time in class leading up to the due dates for essays. They understand the time it takes to write them and they are more than willing to help you. Also, it’s such a cliche but rejection is redirection. Don’t get hung up if you don’t get into somewhere, it doesn’t change much to worry and question why you didn’t get in. As for school, you really just have to keep pushing through. You’re almost there! Take everything in, it’s your last year. 

Have fun, it’s your last year. Do whatever you want, whenever you want.

Senioritis is real. It happens to everyone. Just accept it. 

Don’t stress too much about the SAT/ACT because a lot of schools are test optional and they do not matter as much as they used to. I stand by the fact that being a well-rounded and passionate person is the most important thing. Make sure that you are writing your essays regularly. If you are rushed you won’t feel good about it. When you are done and you know you’ve spent time on it, that’s when you’ll feel good. Also, have other people read your essays. At first I was scared to have people read my essays because they were personal and I didn’t want them to judge me but I feel like getting other people’s perspectives, whether it's teachers or people who are familiar with the process, really helps. 

College applications on top of school work on top of extracurriculars is a lot. The best way to get through it all is to really increment your time wisely. Also don’t forget to have fun. It's a stressful year but it's also a very exciting year. It's the last one, the big hurrah, so have fun. Even if you are going to be stressed out all the time, keep your friends close and don’t forget to make time for fun. 

Only apply to a place that you can actually see yourself going to. A lot of people like the idea of a place more than they would actually like going there. Before you make a decision, staying overnight was the most helpful thing that I ever did. Don’t just go there for a day. If you are really deciding on a place or between a couple of places, stay overnight. You need to close your eyes and imagine waking up in a place. You can’t be like ‘I like x, y, and z about a place. I like the name, I like where it can get me, I like the classes, I like the campus.’ That’s not enough. 

Do not burn yourself out this year. You’ve already worked so hard to get to this point so save some of it for college. 

What is the biggest lesson you learned in your time at Masterman?

The biggest lesson I learned at Masterman is the importance of managing my time. A lot of us at Masterman have jobs, internships, play sports, and volunteer all while going to a school with a heavy workload. A huge part of my Masterman experience was learning to find time, not just for all the extra things and homework, but also for myself. 

The hardest part of going to school wasn’t the work, it was overcoming the pressure of academic standards.

Take advantage of how small the class is. You will find your community. 

Instead of bringing people down, bring yourself up from the people around you. We are all growing. Try to grow together. 

I have learned to work diligently. I think the school does a good job of drilling in a work ethic and that is definitely something I have taken from Masterman. 

People at Masterman will look down on you if they think you are not the version of smart or successful that is valuable. The most important thing that you can do for yourself is to know that what you do with your own time is valuable. Also keep in mind that the places where you will learn the most outside of the classroom are the places where you are with people that are smarter than you. You will learn from those people that you are valuable. 

Some people change but others don’t. Make friends that challenge you and your thinking.