Hooray seniors!
By now you have submitted your enrollment deposits and know where you’ll be headed next fall. Congratulations! Arriving at this moment took a lot of time and hard work. You should feel very proud of the hard work, thoughtfulness and mature decision-making that went into your college application and decision process.
That being said, keep in mind that you had help along the way. Parents and guardians, high school teachers (especially those who wrote letters of recommendation for you,) coaches and counselors, friends, and more, some or all have had a hand in supporting you throughout high school and particularly through this college process.
Make a list of those helpers and any other people who may have helped you, possibly a tutor, an organization that gave you a scholarship, your boss at work, or volunteer supervisor.
Right now is a great time to express your appreciation with a sincere thank you.
An email or verbal thank you is fine but this is a time to go the extra step. Buy or make some thank-you cards and handwrite your thank you notes. Make them personal and be sure to include details about where you’ll be attending college in the fall. If you’re headed out on a gap year first, include that information.
Think of a time when you received a sincere thank-you from someone you care about. Felt great, right? Well, all of these people care about you. They were invested in your success and your expression of gratitude will be just as deeply appreciated.
I also suggest that you make an effort to stay in touch with some of these people throughout your time in college (and possibly beyond). For this purpose, email is an excellent tool.
Expressing gratitude and being a good communicator are terrific life skills and making a habit of them now will make it feel more comfortable as you go on to use them in the future.
Soon, you’ll be tossing your graduation cap into the air and saying a final goodbye to high school. Before that happens, please remember to continue to work hard, keep your grades up and make good choices.
Congratulations!
