Senior year is the year that many students slack off and give themselves a well deserved break; however “senioritis” prevents many students from starting their college prep early, which only leads to further stress and rushing later down the road. Instead, you should start preparing for college now, and here’s some tips on how!

First, some important deadlines and dates every senior should know. Common App Early Decision deadlines are November 1st, and the counseling department recommends everyone get their applications filled by Halloween. They also recommend that any letters of recommendations should be requested by October 22nd. Additionally, there will be a FAFSA Lab on October 20th, which will help students fill out FAFSA, for anyone who may need some guidance. So make sure to get to these deadlines soon, and do not approach your teachers last minute.

Don’t know what college you’re going to? Don’t stress! The WHS counseling department has set up opportunities with many colleges across the states. One is college meetings, where representatives of these colleges either come to WHS, or they’ll meet with you virtually. However, all have one common goal: to show you why their college is the best pick for you. The counselling office also has upcoming field trips to Oakland University and Henry Ford College, which are recommended to anyone, but especially people who are considering going to either one of those colleges. If you want to see all the options that the counseling office has to offer, it’s not too late to go down and sign up for any upcoming opportunities.

These are good tips, but you may need help again at some point when going through your college application process. That’s where Mrs. Z can help! Mrs. Z is the college advisor at Woodhaven, and she is located in the counselling office. She’s here to help any senior that needs college advice, and she’ll walk you through step by step while doing so. “Go at your own pace, it’s really intimidating when your classmates seem to be more on top of things, but your journey is your own. Go at your own pace. There are many paths to college and not everyone will take the same one.” Mrs. Z wants to emphasize that getting to college is not a competition and that the process is different for anyone. The best thing you can do during this stressful season is follow your own path.