it is okay not to know what you want to do with your life. Tons of students start college either undeclared or they end up switching their major at least once before they graduate. Instead of feeling like you need to pick your career path as a senior in high school, start thinking about your hobbies and interests that you would like to continue while in college. Is having access to a rock climbing wall important to you? Do you want to continue theatre without majoring in it? Find out if your schools offer you opportunities to pursue your passions! Then, look into their academic programs to see if any of them spark your interest. Talk to as many current students as you can when touring schools. You will find that you connect most to certain schools when you meet people you can see some of yourself in. The college process is a long one, but absolutely nothing feels better than knowing you made the right decision. Good luck and have fun!   Samantha Cohen ’13, William & Mary: Class of 2016: My not so fun advice would be to study for your AP tests! Even if Latin doesn’t offer certain AP specific classes I suggest taking whatever AP tests you can.  As unappealing as that may sound having credits going into college gives you a huge leg up and will give you a lot more flexibility! I wish I had known how truly helpful they could be. My fun advice would be to hang out with your friends, family, and awesome Latin faculty as much as possible! This is your last year living with them and you will miss them all terribly soon. Also, appreciate your surroundings. Latin is in such a prime neighborhood in an amazing city, whereas I currently reside in a colonial village. If you plan on leaving home for school, soak in the skyline this year and watch lots of Hawks games! Grant Simon ’12, TCU: I have two pieces of advice for the Class of 2016 and they both involve quotes. The first would be to do what makes you happy. Don’t fall in a trap where you do something for someone else or things you are not passionate about. To sum this up, I have a quote from Dr. Seuss and his book “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”. It reads, “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.” My second piece of advice is that you never fail. Instead, you gain experience. As Randy Pausch, author of The Last Lecture said,”Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted.” Have a great year!   Stay tuned for more letters of advice from alumni, coming to the FORUM in the next few days!]]>