If you’re looking for a senior year bucket list in Massachusetts, I have one piece of advice before we get into the actual list: don’t make senior year another checklist you have to finish. You already have enough of those. Between classes, activities, college applications, work, sports, figuring out what comes next and approximately 4,000 school emails, senior year can get BUSY. I’m tired just going through that list!
Senior year is also filled with things you are going to do for the last time, even if you don’t realize they’re the last time while they’re happening. So my version of a senior year bucket list is really about making sure you stop occasionally and enjoy where you are right now.
1. Take the First Day Photo
Yes, take the first day of school picture. Even if your mom has been making you stand in the same spot since kindergarten. ESPECIALLY if your mom has been making you stand there since kindergarten. Someday, those two photos side by side are going to mean a lot more than you think.
Check out my kids below! Proof that you really will want those first-day-of-school photos someday. They’re in their 20s now, which still doesn’t seem possible to me!
2. Go to the Senior Events
This year more than any other in high school, it’s important to make an effort to actually attend the senior events your school offers. Football games, pep rallies, homecoming, spirit week, senior sunrise, and whatever traditions happen at your particular high school; they all deserve a place on your senior year bucket list in Massachusetts.
Maybe you want to start a new tradition? This is the last year to make it happen. Want to join in on the “Paint your parking spot” trend? Talk to your senior advisor! Think the “senior denim” trend is really cool? Get together with your closest friends and get to crafting!
You don’t have to suddenly become the most spirited person in your school. Just give yourself the opportunity to be part of some of these moments before they’re over.
3. Make Memories With Your Friends
Senior year gets very focused on what happens AFTER graduation, but don’t forget about the people who are part of your life right now. Plan the late-night food run with your friends. Go into Boston for the day, spend an afternoon at the beach on the North Shore or New Hampshire Seacoast, see a movie, go apple picking, have everyone over for pizza or do absolutely nothing exciting together. Ordinary memories count too.
4. Make Memories With Your Family
Seniors, it’s important to give your parents a little of your time. I say that as a mom who has already been through senior year with my own kids. Your parents are incredibly proud of you, but there’s a good chance they’re also wondering how on earth kindergarten turned into senior year this quickly. They are experiencing more emotions than you can imagine!
5. Document the Ordinary Stuff
Here’s one thing I wish more seniors would add to their senior year bucket list in Massachusetts: photograph regular life. Take pictures of your friends sitting around the lunch table. Photograph your locker, your car in the school parking lot, the coffee shop you always stop at, your team, your favorite teacher and the ridiculous little things that won’t seem important until years from now.
6. Save Something From the Year
Keep a small box for ticket stubs, notes, programs, photos and other pieces of your year. You don’t need to turn it into an elaborate scrapbook or shadowbox unless that’s your thing. Just save something. Your phone will eventually be replaced, so having something tangible from this year gives those memories a much better chance of staying with you.
7. Do Something That’s Very YOU
Senior year is a really good time to stop worrying quite so much about what everyone else is doing. Wear the outfit you love. Bring your guitar to your senior session. Include your dog, your hockey stick, your dance shoes, your car, your books or something completely random that makes sense to YOU.
8. Take Your Senior Photos
I’ve photographed seniors around Greater Boston, the Merrimack Valley, the North Shore and Southern New Hampshire, and my favorite sessions are always the ones that tell me something about the person I’m photographing. Your senior photos should do exactly that. You don’t need to know how to pose or magically become comfortable in front of a camera either. My seniors tell me how much easier the experience feels once they realize I’m going to guide them through it, which is exactly what I want for them.
9. Figure Out What’s Next
Yes, eventually you have to think about what happens after graduation. College may be part of your plan. Maybe you’re heading to trade school, joining the military, taking a gap year or going directly into the workforce. Start asking questions and exploring your options, but give yourself some room to not have your entire life mapped out at 17 or 18. I spent years as a college professor and department chair, and I can assure you that there are many ways to build a future.
10. Enjoy Where You Are Now
And the final item on my senior year bucket list in Massachusetts is probably the most important one: enjoy where you are right now. There will be plenty of time to become whoever you’re going to become next. Take a few minutes to appreciate who you already are.
One Last Thing
Senior year moves ridiculously fast. One minute you’re taking that first-day picture, and in what seems like the blink of an eye, you’re standing in a cap and gown wondering where the year went. So go to the game. Take the picture. Get dinner with your friends. Let your mom take one more photo even when she’s annoying you. And when it comes time for your professional senior photos, make sure you create something that shows who you actually were during this very specific little window of your life.
You deserve to see yourself the way everyone else already does.
And these photographs shouldn’t disappear into your phone either. They deserve to become part of the things you keep from this year.
Senior Year FAQ
Q: When should I book senior photos in Massachusetts?
A: Earlier than most families think. Many seniors photograph during the summer and fall before graduation, and popular dates can book well in advance. Starting early also gives us plenty of time to plan outfits, locations and the overall feel of your session.
Q: Where can we take senior photos around Boston?
A: There are so many options depending on your personality and style. Boston gives us beautiful urban locations, while the North Shore and New Hampshire Seacoast offer beaches and coastal scenery. I also photograph seniors in gardens, parks and natural areas throughout the Merrimack Valley and Greater Boston.
Q: What if I have no idea what to do in senior pictures?
A: Perfectly normal. Most of my seniors aren’t used to being professionally photographed. I give you direction throughout the session so you don’t have to figure out where to put your hands, how to stand or what you’re supposed to do next.
Q: What should I bring to my senior photo session?
A: Bring anything that helps tell your story. Sports equipment, instruments, books, uniforms, pets and other meaningful items can all work. We talk about these things while planning your session so nothing feels randomly thrown in.
Q: What should I wear for senior pictures?
A: I usually recommend a variety so your final images don’t all have the same look. Something casual, something a little dressier and an outfit somewhere in between can give you plenty of options. Most importantly, your clothes should still feel like something YOU would wear.
Q: Do I really need professional senior pictures?
A: Your phone is going to document plenty of senior year, and I hope it does. Professional senior portraits give you something different: intentional photographs of who you are at this point in your life, created to be printed, displayed and kept. Years from now, that’s the part I think you’ll appreciate most.Yes, eventually you have to think about what happens after graduation. College may be part of your plan. Maybe you’re heading to trade school, joining the military, taking a gap year or going directly into the workforce. Start asking questions and exploring your options, but give yourself some room to not have your entire life mapped out at 17 or 18. I spent years as a college professor and department chair, and I can assure you that there are many ways to build a future.
