Senior Year Bucket List 2022: 42 Things To Do Before You Graduate High School

Today we are going to be talking about what needs to be on your senior year bucket list if you’re class of 2022!

Of course, you can (and should!) customize, but these are my suggestions on things to do in your senior year of high school.

This Senior Year Bucket List is also available as a free printable! You can easily download, print, and hang it on your wall to check off the points as you go through the school year.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase via my link I may get a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend things I use and love, but for any questions, refer to my full disclosure here.

Alrighty, let’s get into it!

1. WRITE A LETTER TO YOUR FUTURE SELF

I’ve done this myself before my exchange year (junior year) started, and I loved opening it at the end and reflecting on my hopes and goals. Click here for the video.

Seeing what I’ve reached and done directly compared to before the year is incredibly amazing and I recommend doing it even more for senior year.

2. GO TO FOOTBALL GAMES

Get that school spirit movin’ girls! I have to admit, I went to every. single. game. in my year in the US, I only missed one where I was out of state.

But even if you’re not a game addict like me, going to a football game in your last year of High School is a must! Click here for my football game vlog.

3. PARTICIPATE IN SPIRIT WEEK

Even if you don’t have all the clothes themed for the day, try to participate in Spirit Week! You can take fun pictures with your friends in school and have the memories forever. To see my vlog from the week, click here!

4. GO TO HOMECOMING

I know, these school dances aren’t something for everyone, but come on girls! You get to wear a pretty dress and be a princess for a day!

Get your girls together and go to homecoming. You don’t need dates to go.

5. JOIN A SPORTS TEAM

Joining a team has so many advantages! You will get fitter, find new friends, have a great time, and can reference it in your college applications.

If you’re good at a sport, that’s perfect! But if you’re not, like I was, there are still teams that don’t require tryouts, like Cross Country or Track. Just inform yourself in school or the school website and find out the process.

6. JOIN A CLUB

A total hater of sports? I’m really sorry, but you could join a club. If you pick well, you will find new friends and people interested in the same things you are. Also, it’s pretty good looking in your college application, if you participated in clubs and are involved in them.

7. GO TO SCHOOL EVENTS

This one is a little more general. Visiting school events is a big part of experiencing high school to the fullest. So why not?

8. GO TO A PEP RALLY

They are so much fun! I love hanging out with my friends at school events like these. Here is a vlog of my first ever pep rally!

9. HAVE BEST FRIENDS

Having best friends makes your high school time a hundred times better. You don’t need everyone to like you.

A few good friends are worth so much more than being “fame” in school. Try to bond with people you feel comfortable with and develop real friendships if you haven’t yet.

10. GO CAMPING

Camping is literally so much fun. S’mores, bonfires, games, and fun. Get your friends together, or even your family, and spend a night camping. Here is a vlog of my camping trip to Georgia!

Broke? Check out some fun job ideas in how to make money as a student, or just camp in your backyard! I’ve done that in spring break and it was so much fun.

Related: How to Save Money as a Student

11. TAKE A TRIP WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Since you’re a senior now, I assume you are old enough to take a weekend or day trip with your friends.

Whether that’s a road trip or a train ride, you can spend the day, or weekend, in the next city, state, or beach. Doesn’t that sound like a fantastic time?

Related: Spring Break Trip Ideas for Students

12. DO A SENIOR PRANK

These are more common by the end of the year, but senior pranks are a fun way to really BE a senior. Yay!

13. SKIP SCHOOL FOR 1 DAY

I don’t wanna get into skipping school or whether or not you do that outside of this day, but senior skip day is a tradition that needs to be kept up!

14. HAVE A GALENTINE’S DAY

To celebrate Valentine’s day, you should at least one year do a Galentine’s day with your friends. Get each other small gifts and do something fun!

15. DRESS UP FOR SCHOOL FOR 1 DAY

You can also dress up fancy when going to school for a day, and that would be so fun!

16. WEAR A COSTUME TO SCHOOL ON HALLOWEEN

Another fun thing you can do with your friends is to go to school in a costume on Halloween. Now, if your school has a super strict dress code or uniform, you could just do something fun with your makeup or hair style!

17. HAVE A SLEEPOVER

Sleepovers are one of my favorites. Invite your friends over, make popcorn, get ice cream, pizza, and other snacks, and watch movies, play games, and take pictures. You won’t forget it!

18. APPLY FOR COLLEGES

It’s time to get serious, girl! Maybe you have already picked your favorite colleges, but now it’s time to apply! Not sure what college to choose? Here is my guide to choosing the right university!

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Need some tips for your application? Check out my college application guide here!

19. TAKE SENIOR PICTURES

Now, you can either book a professional photographer and have gorgeous pictures, or you can swap with your friends if you have a good camera already.

Whatever you prefer, both have advantages and you will get memorable photos either way.

Here are 15 creative graduation picture ideas to do at home!

20. BE PRODUCTIVE IN BREAKS

Please don’t just hang around in your room when you don’t have school! If you’re not going on a trip, there are still ways to be productive in breaks.

Try to make a bucket list for the break and do something every day.

Related: 8 Productivity Tips for Students for better Time Management

21. GO TO A BASKETBALL GAME

Whether or not you have been to them before, don’t miss out on Basketball in your senior year!

22. GO TO AN AWAY GAME

No matter your favorite sport, at least once you should take a day trip to an away game to support your high school team! I went to away football games, but you could also go to a baseball or basketball game.

23. VISIT A SCHOOL SHOW

Depending on your school, you can also visit school shows. For example, my school had regular theater plays, dance shows, or talent shows going on. Watching those with friends is a good way to meet up after school and have a good time.

24. RUN A 5K/ COLOR RUN

These are so much fun!! Try to take it easy, cause 5k’s are incredibly hard if done in a competition. Trust me. I’ve done cross-country.

But color runs are way easier since you can run at whatever pace you want, and have fun while doing so.

24. START MAKING YOUR OWN MONEY

It’s time to start taking care of your own stuff to get ready for college, so I’ve added this one to the senior year bucket list too.

Try to take notes on what you spend money on and how much (refer to my budgeting guide for more info:)). And try to get a job or side hustle as well, so you can make money on your own and don’t have to rely on your parents’ money.

If you haven’t read my post yet, check out these job ideas for students. It always seems harder than it is until you try and it works.

For online jobs, I put together this post with websites that pay over $20/hr!

25. GO TO BIRTHDAY PARTIES

In senior year, try to go to the parties you’re invited to. Of course, if you don’t like the person or whatever, then don’t. But in general, if you’re invited, try to join and have fun.

Need gift ideas? Here are 50 gift ideas for students!

Also, try to have a birthday party of your own too. Here is a video of my 18th birthday in the US.

26. SEE A LACROSSE GAME

A fun to watch sport to me, and even better with friends. Try to go see one!

27. VOLUNTEER

Senior year is the perfect time for you to volunteer and improve your application.

Try to find something you’re really into and what’s related to the field of study you want to do in college.

Summer breaks are good for volunteering too, so you don’t have more stress during school weeks.

28. PARTICIPATE IN MLK DAY

A lot of schools have volunteering opportunities on MLK day, so if you are wanting to contribute to the community on your day off school, go ahead!

29. GO TO THE BEACH

Taking a trip to the beach is the perfect activity to relax a little bit and get your focus together to ace your upcoming midterms or finals.

30. WATCH A BASEBALL GAME

I love baseball games! Whether you go to a school game or a more professional one, it’s super fun with your people and some food! Watch my first baseball game vlog here.

31. DO A SPRING SPORT

Spring season gives you more opportunities to join a sport you like! And, the weather is usually nicer for sports than hot summer days when school begins in August.

Try adding this to your senior year bucket list too. I did Track and Field in the spring and it was so much fun and I made some of my best friends there.

32. GO TO HOMECOMING

While homecoming is more of a freshman and sophomore dance, as a senior in high school it’s your last time so you should go enjoy it!

33. GO TO PROM

Prom is one of the biggest days in your High School experience, so don’t miss it! Get out of your room girl and rock it!

Get some pretty pictures with your friends, wear a beautiful dress, go eat pizza, and dance till you get kicked out! (ok that’s exaggerated, but I think you get my vibe) Here is the vlog of my first prom!

34. GET ACCEPTED TO YOUR DREAM COLLEGE

That is totally our goal, so don’t hesitate to add it to your bucket list! You need to attract what you want in order to get it. #lawofattraction

If you’re constantly thinking about how you will get rejected, do you think you will get into it? Of course not. Your vibe is totally negative!

Try picturing how you get the acceptance letter and how happy you are. Think about how much they need you in the school community.

Not sure what college to choose? In this post, I share my best tips to choosing the right college!

Of course, you have more than one school as an option. But please don’t think negatively in this process. Okay? You got this!!

Also, it’s okay if you don’t want to go to college or you feel like you don’t need it for what you want to work. Do what helps you in your life and what makes you happy in the long run. If that’s the case, check out this post with 10 alternatives to college!

35. CHEER FOR YOUR FRIENDS AT COMPETITIONS

Your friend is in a sports team or club and has an important show or competition? This is the time for you to be the best friend she or he can have!

Come along and cheer them on. It’s not just fun, but you can make your friends really happy.

36. COLLECT EVERYTHING IN A JOURNAL

I collected every ticket and every picture in my journal! (except those on my wall)

This will make it possible for you to look through it later and have everything in it. That makes your journal so much more real and personal.

Here you can see my study abroad journal of my High School time!

37. TAKE A PHOTO WITH YOUR MASCOT

This is such a cute thing to do and definitely a memory!

38. GET FEATURED IN YOUR YEARBOOK

Try to get interviewed by the yearbook club to get featured in it, or if you’re in a sports team you should automatically be added to the school’s sports pages. Also, make sure to buy the yearbook as it’s a memory for life.

39. TAKE POLAROID PICTURES

Getting a Polaroid camera was one of my best investments in High School. It isn’t even that expensive, and I love the way they look.

Here is the polaroid camera I have. If you just want to take phone pictures instead, there is a Polaroid picture printer, which prints your phone pics into Polaroids! You can get one here.

40. REACH YOUR GOALS OF THIS YEAR

Of course, that is given by the fact that this is a Senior Year Bucket List, but I’m sure you have other goals as well.

Try to do your best in school without forgetting yourself and other parts of life. Find a balance and do your best. If you’ve done that, you basically won.

Related: How to set and reach your goals

41. HOST A GRADUATION PARTY

Have a graduation party! Even if you don’t like being center of attention or don’t have many to invite, just get your friends together, have some good food, and look through the experiences of your senior year, whilst taking new pictures to capture this important step too!

42. GO TO GRADUATION PARTIES

Part of this season is that you go to other parties as well! Just join for a bit, bring a small gift and eat some food. You don’t need to stay for long if you don’t want to! Here is a vlog of my school’s graduation.

43. GRADUATE!!

You made it! I’m so proud of you!

Graduating from High School is a big step towards your future, and I hope it opens many doors for you. You rock!

The other ideas until 50 are totally up to your preferences. Hehe.

But Bucket Lists are there to give you an overview of what you want to achieve, so you really achieve them.

I really hope this senior year bucket list gave you ideas on what you want to do and get done in your senior year. Want to add anything? Tell me below in the comments!

Share this post with your friends so you can check off this bucket list TOGETHER;)

Until soon,