Congratulations high school graduates! You persevered through unprecedented times to earn your diploma and are now looking forward to college in the fall. There is one last task to complete before the summer break. Have you properly thanked those who have assisted you in the college process?
Who Assisted You?
It might be a family member, friend, teacher, coach, counselor, administrator, or the college representative where you will be a student in the fall.
Why is Showing Gratitude Important?
It is good manners to thank people who went out of their way to help you and make your life easier. Showing your appreciation and returning kindness is an important lesson in Positive Psychology. It has been rumored to help improve our own levels of happiness, and you may need their assistance again in the future. People are much more willing to help if you have shown them appreciation in the past. It helps build strong, lasting relationships.
Hand-Written Notes are a Great Way to Show Your Appreciation
Educators adore handwritten thank-you notes from students. A heartfelt message is like gold in the educational community! I promise you, your teachers will be beaming the rest of the day after reading your note. I personally framed some handwritten letters from past students and have them hanging in my home office. They still make me smile each time I read them and think about where these students are now in their lives.
A written note is much more personal than an email. Your teacher may have spent an hour writing your recommendation after a 10-hour workday. Do you have five minutes to spare explaining what their support during this stressful process meant to you?
Many of my students are tight on money, so I suggest a trip to the Dollar Store where you can purchase a 10 pack of thank you cards for a dollar. Write your notes and have the school secretary put them in their mailboxes. You have no idea how much this will mean to them!
Who Else Should Be On My Gratitude List?
You absolutely cannot forget to write thank-you cards to the organization or people who gave you scholarship money! If the scholarship is renewable, make sure you keep their contact information and send a card every year. Give them an update on your academic progress. Always include why it is imperative that you received this money in order to go to college.
Should I Give Them a Gift?
A thank you note should be a requirement; however, a gift is not necessary at our school. That would go above and beyond the ‘good manners’ gesture.
Make sure you complete this one last task, if you have not already done so, in order to build strong, sustaining relationships with the people you entrusted your future. You will not be sorry!
Julie Kampschroeder has over three decades of experience working with high school students. She is passionate about assisting first-generation and low-income college-bound students. Julie worked in a diverse high school in St. Louis, Missouri. Early in her career, she volunteered countless hours with the Missouri Association of College Admission Counselors (MOACAC) and earned both the President’s Service Award (2008) and Peggy Clinton Lifetime Service Award (2012). As a first-generation college student herself, growing up in a small town, she is most proud of the National Association of Admissions Counselor Inclusion, Access, and Success Award (2013). Maya Angelo’s motto of “when you know better, you do better” guides her work in educating first-generation students to level the playing field in college admissions.
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Julie Kampschroeder