“Enjoy your high school years”: Graduating Seniors Offer Advice to Walls Student

As the final days of the school year approaches, the class of 2025 is finalizing their college commitments and nearing the end of their high school careers. With graduation only weeks away, our seniors offer advice to underclassmen–lessons that were formed through their 4 years at Walls. 

Attending the School Without Walls comes with a rigorous academic environment, and learning how to navigate that is key to success. Jaeda Ofori (‘25), who will be attending the University of Maryland in the fall, shared that one of her biggest challenges during her academic career was adjusting to the competitive academic atmosphere following a drastic shift from her middle school.

She explains how “everyone is on a similar academic level” at Walls and how “making sure that you keep up with every assignment to maintain that academic standing is important.” Her main takeaway? Focus on your own progress. She urged students not to compare scores or share your grades, saying that“it’s best when you just keep your academic standing to yourself.” Ofori continued with an appeal to future Walls students: “Enjoy your highschool years, you can still maintain a good academic standing without mentally and emotionally draining yourself.”

Bella Hallman (‘25), who will be attending California Polytechnic Institute, said that her biggest piece of advice is, “don't stress about school too much,” underlining a theme among graduating seniors of prioritizing avoiding academic burnout. When it comes to choosing classes in order to manage the rigorous workload, seniors recommended developing routines early on. Ofori advised the underclassmen to “Take every assignment seriously and start routines and habits that you can develop over time to thrive in high school.”

Ofori’s advice to future college applicants is that “when writing your essay, you will go through multiple trial and errors but be different and stand out with your writing! It makes you look like a better, more determined goal driven student.” An overarching theme that seniors have relayed is the importance of being involved in extracurriculars that interest you. Involvement outside the classroom plays a huge role in shaping the high school experience. 

Reflecting on what she wishes she had done differently, Ofori said that, “I wish I had been more involved with things like clubs, sports, SGA…try something new and branch yourself out there, especially if you are scared!”

Gabriella Goldberg (‘25), who is committed to Brown University, further advised underclassmen to “create strong relationships with your teachers, they will be a great source for information and advice when preparing for senior year.”

Whether it’s starting routines early, joining a club, or remembering to breathe during APs, the wisdom passed down by this year’s seniors is clear: your high school experience is what you make of it.