New Years sometimes gets a bad rap, but I’m personally a huge stan. I like New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, New Year’s Intentions…and “New Year’s Goals” (aka “resolutions”!).
That last item on the list is a crucial form of self-care, imho. After all, every time we put a new calendar up on the wall, we get a chance to check in on our recent progress in life’s many journeys. It’s an occasion for reflecting on what’s been working and what needs adjusting. Plus, in early January, a lot of people are in the same self-improvement headspace…meaning you can find added solidarity and inspo when it comes to actually IMPLEMENTING those changes!
January 1 is a chance to give ourselves grace for past mistakes as we turn the page on a new year. “Out with the old” is only the first part of the saying, after all. “In with the new” is just as important!
Wherever you are in high school (or in parenting a high-schooler!), this post will guide you through a review of your past year…and help you take a fresh, energized start to the new year.
As a test prep and college applications expert, I’ve observed and shaped the arcs of many a high schooler’s college journey. I’ve developed a sense for which topics serve as productive areas of focus for a given school year. So, as you conduct your personal year-end review, here are some questions to ask yourself, some possible concerns to keep an eye on, and some words of expert wisdom about the milestones you’re reaching and the challenges you’re facing.
So, find a quiet spot in your house, grab a pencil and paper (or open up a new Google doc), and treat yourself to this reflective New Year’s Eve ritual.
Article Contents
1. Watch this article as a video
2. Questions to ask yourself on New Year’s if you’re a high school…
A. Senior
B. Junior
C. Sophomore
D. Freshman
E. Parent
3. Conclusion
Video version of this article:
New Years Thoughts for Seniors
Have you given everything you’ve got to drafting, revising, and re-revising your college applications?
Have you kept up your grades despite the added work of those applications?
Have you maintained your interests and hobbies, even though you’ve had so much else on your plate this fall?
Whatever mistakes you’ve made so far—in the admissions process specifically, or in high school more broadly—please let them go. They’re water under the bridge, now. Instead, bring your attention to staying true to yourself and giving 110% to any applications you haven’t yet submitted. And try to make time to savor your last eight months or so at home.
HS Juniors: NYE Reflections
Have you kept up with your increasingly harder homework and classes so far this year?
Have you begun to think seriously about which colleges—or at least what kinds of colleges—you’d be excited to end up at?
Have you reflected on the major theme(s) of your high school life thus far?
Have you been chipping away steadily at your Digital SAT or ACT prep, keeping you on track to hit your target score?
You don’t need to wallow if, upon reflection, your performances haven’t been up to snuff. You have the rest of this academic year to change your story—and the story of your transcript!
If you do some thinking and realize that you’re not where you need to be with your test prep, this coming semester is the time to REALLY lock in! (Btw, this is the perfect time to contact me if you need help in that arena.)
What Sophomores Should Ask Themselves on New Year's Eve
Have you started to gravitate towards certain academic and extracurricular passions?
Have you been taking the most challenging classes you possibly can?
Is your current GPA higher, lower, or the same as your 9th grade GPA?
Have you let your social life take precedence over your school work?
Here’s the good news: whatever missteps you’ve made recently, they’re over now. You can’t change history. However, you CAN change how you wrap up this school year! Re-commit to excellence in your academics, if need be, and to plumbing new depths with your favorite extracurriculars.
9th Grade New Year's Meditations
Have you learned how to keep up with the more intense load of high school homework?
Have you tried new clubs, hobbies, and extracurriculars to see if they’re a good match for you?
Have you put yourself out there to make new friends?
Have you pushed yourself to get outside your comfort zone?
Even if you feel like you’re still a bit lost when it comes to navigating high school, remember that you’re only one semester in. Give yourself grace if it doesn’t come naturally yet. What IS important is that you sign up for the most challenging classes you can handle for Junior year, and to try out new activities until you find the ones that really light you up inside.
New Year's Questions for Parents of High Schoolers
Have you learned to remain calm and supportive when it comes to your student’s test prep and/or grades?
Have you sought outside support in what you yourself don’t have the expertise or time to guide your kid in? (Tutors, standardized test prep experts, college counselors, etc.)
Have you learned to balance the need to protect your child’s safety and health with the need to give her the space to explore and find herself?
Have you stayed on top of updates to the SAT, ACT, and the college process?
We all have moments when we don’t act in ways that we don’t feel especially proud of. So don’t let it get you down if you had some parenting moments you wish you could undo. It’s not easy raising a teen!
That said, let bygones be bygones. Starting tomorrow, you’ll do better and be better. Not perfectly, just better.
Conclusion
No matter where you are in the marathon of college admissions, I hope asking yourself these questions gives you the opportunity to pause, reflect, and tweak where necessary.
And if you need help getting your ship back on course, I’ve got over 15 years of experience doing just that—for 9th through 12th graders AND parents. Either way, I hope you have a jubilant and productive New Year, full of all the success you’re going to manifest with the help of this post.
