Congratulations! You’ve entered 12th grade at BASIS Peoria. Now what? APs are over. Classes finish, replaced by Capstones. Every day ends at 12:45 PM. What do you do now? Are all your stresses finally over? Well, you might not be a Senior quite yet, but you will be eventually. I’ll walk you through our daily experiences and tell you the dos and don’ts of your last year at BASIS.
In BASIS, all students reach the minimum number of credits required to graduate in Arizona as 11th grade finishes. Legally, a student can graduate from high school at this time, and some opt to do this. However, most choose to stay and continue one additional year. None regret it; the workload is drastically reduced in 12th grade with the absence of AP classes.
Unless you fail a class and have a credit deficiency, you are absolutely done with APs. Capstones replace normal classes. They’re technically challenging post-AP research courses designed to emulate college, but in reality, they don’t even reach the intensity of an Honors class. After all four classes and College Counseling end, it’s 12:45 PM and you’re free to go home. Easy day. Because of the more laid-back mood of the Capstones, it’s easy for weak-willed individuals to develop a behavior-altering condition known as Senioritis. The symptoms of Senioritis include but are not limited to: lack of focus, sloth, reduced drive, laziness, dullness of the mind, sloth, laziness, sloth, and even sloth. Those with the affliction do very little work in class, which is bad, because even though colleges do not see 12th-year grades when you apply, they will eventually see it, and they will expel you if you do poorly enough. I know of one who is nearly failing or failing every class. They are an extreme case of Senioritis. Because they have less than a B- in at least one class, they are also ineligible to do a Senior Research Project (SRP), which depressed them very much, because they were planning a wonderful idea for it. On the flip side, though, don’t put too much focus on your classes, because you really have more important things to worry about.
As a Senior, you now need to think about what will happen after high school, and for everyone, that means going to a four-year institution. There is no arguing with this statement if you want to graduate: acceptance to a four-year is a graduation requirement for BASIS. To make this entire process better, College Counseling is a required class for all Seniors. Our two College Counselors are like angels sent from heaven in the application process, for they make everything monumentally easier. They help you write better and stronger essays, give you opportunities to ask questions, and push you to put your best self forward. Weird questions like “Water” (ASU Barrett essay 2d) become more manageable when they are there to give sound and experienced advice. For many, College Counseling is a class to play around on their laptops, but for the wise, it’s a powerful resource for writing essays and filling out applications.
Senior year is fun. It’s more relaxed and relaxing than the rest of high school, and it feels like a sort of break from school. Senior year is not work-free. College applications and Capstone courses still provide plenty of work. There is a lot of free time, and it’s best to spend it wisely; somehow, people still waste time and go to bed super late when it’s possible to do everything to be done in two hours, max. Senior year still feels like high school. It’s not as extreme as the other years, though, but again, there is still work to do. Senior year is all about time management and prioritization. You must learn to effectively balance your Capstone workload and your College workload. There is a gracious amount of wiggle-room, depending on what you do outside of school and how many colleges and scholarships you do, thankfully, but this skill only becomes increasingly important as you grow.
But most importantly of all, future Seniors, enjoy your last year of high school. You only get one shot, so relish it! Capture the savor. Make it the best it can be!
