Congratulations to this year’s seniors on the great news that has come in this month! All of your hard work has really paid off!

Usually, after good news arrives (via email, snail mail, web login etc.), my students ask me if they still have to work to maintain their strong grades and great extracurriculars. I always tell them, “yes.” The truth is, you can relax a little. But, not too much. College admissions officers will look at your final transcripts and they expect to see the same level of academic success that drew them to you in the first place. They don’t want to see that you, as one of my friends in admissions likes to say, “fell out of bed.”

Keep your eye on the horizon, remember what you love about learning, and keep up the good work. You should aim to learn some new and exciting things in your spring semester, while you take some time to smell the flowers!