Summer went by very fast; I could have used an extra week or two. It’s senior year already! Since freshman year, I’ve prayed to be a senior, but once I realized I hit senior year it’s hard to believe. Part of me wants to graduate and the other part doesn’t know if I’m ready to graduate. This is the year of applying for scholarships and looking at colleges. It’s all so exciting and overwhelming at the same time. The most important thing to do is enjoy it!

Luckily for me, I took my ACT as a junior and now have one less thing to worry about. I took it the Saturday after school ended; can you believe that? While everyone was sleeping in or going to the beach, I was up at 7 o’clock on the first weekend of summer taking a test. It was well worth it, though.

There is a scholarship, Bright Futures, offered in Florida that pays a nice portion of tuition, up to 75% I believe, but you have to get a 20 or above on the ACT. I prepared like crazy and scored well over a 20. It felt so good when the score report arrived during the summer. My score gave me more than just scholarship opportunities; it was high enough to enable me to take dual enrollment courses at the community college as a senior, which I plan on taking next term in 2011.

During the summer, I didn’t do anything associated with school work. I read a few books for leisure, but that was it. Junior year was probably the most stressful year of high school. I worked really hard, making sure I did everything I was supposed to do so I could have a stress-free senior year. During the summer, I hung out with friends, went to the beach and on a few road trips with friends and family. I watched a lot of movies. I stayed up late and woke up late. I had an amazing carefree summer until I was hit with reality and it was back to school, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I can’t say I prefer school over summer. It was the last summer of my high school career and I wanted to make the most of it, just like I plan on making the most of my senior year.

This year I look forward the most to visiting colleges. Last year, I went to a University of Central Florida football game. I was sucked into the atmosphere and have my sights set on the school, but I like to be open to other options so I can’t wait to do a college tour. I really want to get more involved this year, attending games, showing lots of school spirit and participating in everything possible. I’m really excited to see what this year holds; I’m excited to make the most of the year!