It’s really hard to talk about what to do over the winter break, because there’s just so much variability to how things are going for seniors. In the past, I could count on a few things from my 12th grade readers: they were in high school, they were looking forward to a break, and they had relatively stable lives. I understand those things aren’t ever true for absolutely every high school senior, but for the ones reading college admissions advice websites I pretty much took those things for granted.

Not so this year. Even among the college-bound crowd, there are people who are in school and really doing great, and people in absolute crisis mode who are barely going to school. There’s everything in between, and there are people who have been up and down the scale as the year’s gone on. But I’ve still got advice that I hope will be universal enough not to exclude too many people, but not so bland that it’s useless. The advice is condensed into three words: complete, rest, reset.

First, complete your college applications. Most regular decision deadlines are in the first week of January, so your winter break is the natural time to finish those up. As much as possible, avoid waiting until the last minute, or even the last few days. As much as possible, complete the college applications before getting some down time. A really common approach is to decide that there’s a lot of things to do before Christmas—if you celebrate Christmas—and not nearly as much to do after, so people put off the applications to get done the 26th through the 31st. It’s also really common, however, to find that you have more to do that week than you thought, and to be really worn out. So as much as possible, plan on finishing the applications in the first half of the break.

Consider a college application “study group.” I normally don’t like study groups. Far too often, they’re just self-inflicted group projects, where a few people do most of the heavy lifting and hangers-on try to get something for nothing. But with a good bunch of people who are equally enthusiastic, an application group can be really useful. A college application study group is a way to have some friends with you (online, using Zoom or Discord or Facetime or something like that) while you all finish up your applications. Since everyone has to actually turn in their own applications, it’s more balanced and everyone is doing their own work. But you have people who are in the same situation and able to answer each others’ questions and keep each other motivated. If you’re still in the “I wonder what I should write my essay about” phase, then a study group maybe isn’t the right idea. But a group who are all in the “I’ve just got to get a few supplementals down to the right word count and upload the documents and fill out the basic paperwork” phase can all work on these at the same time. Celebrate each other every time someone hits the “submit” button.

While on your break, get some rest. Again, situations vary wildly. Some of you, even on a break from school, will not have enough opportunity for sleep. I’m so sorry. Some of you, on the other hand, will have too much opportunity for sleep. You’re stuck at home with not much to do. Either way, be as consistent as possible and as intentional as possible. Do your best to go to bed around the same time every day and wake up at the same time every day.

Earlier this week, while taking a walk with my 14-year-old kid, they asked what my challenges were when I was a high school student. The main one was not getting enough sleep. If I had figured out the importance of “sleep hygiene” (I hadn’t heard that term when I was in high school) sooner in my life, I could have been a better high school student…and college student…and new teacher.

With some rest, you’ll hopefully be able to reset. Nationally, we’ve had a few of the worst days yet in terms of Covid-19 this week. While it looks like vaccines are on the way, all the experts predict it’s going to be a dreadful winter. As best as possible, set goals. Make plans. Very few people will be coasting through the spring semester, so take some time to prepare yourself.

Academically, you’ve got three main tasks: survive, graduate, and choose a college. Take some time to get a grasp on what you’ll need to do to make all those happen.

We’re in a pandemic, so I mean it literally when I say survive. Be careful out there! But I also mean it in terms of your mental health and social life. I mean it in terms of setting reasonable goals for yourself. Spring 2021 is not likely to be your Best Semester Ever. There’s a really high chance that, like the class of 2020, ‘21 will not have normal graduations or end-of-year traditions. You don’t have to live your best life, you have to survive.

You also, though, have to graduate if you’re going to go to college. This year I’m not too worried about wide-spread “senioritis,” but I do worry about students thinking that they can get it together later…then not getting it together in time. Again, the bar is kind of low this year. Not too many people are going to question a previously straight-A student about why they suddenly got Bs this spring. But you have to graduate. Make that happen.

You’re also going to have to choose your college for next year. You probably had to pick which colleges to apply to without visiting them or talking to a representative one-on-one. You’re probably going to make your final choice the same way. Even if things are moving along well enough in the spring that you can visit colleges, they will be far from their normal mood and pace. If you make decisions based just on what feels right, or a place’s vibe, this might be very difficult to do well. You need to review your plans, go over (and revise if necessary) your college mission statement, and know how you’ll choose your school, even if you haven’t finished all your applications yet. You can reset your thinking now to be prepared for an easier decision later.

I hope your break, when it comes, is filled with peace and rest and calm. I know that’s not going to happen everywhere, but I wish it for you. Complete, rest, and reset.

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2. Read these related posts: The two things you need for success in college and beyond, Please, please, please answer your email!, and Dealing with bad news.

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