Senior year is said to be both stressful and exciting. With it being their last year in high school, there are many things to think about and consider. One main point of consideration is dealing with the future and what one plans to do as the school year comes to an end and a new chapter of their life begins.
“I feel like graduating high school and moving on to whatever you do afterwards, is one of the biggest transitions in your life,” Senior Ryan Malcolm said. “I feel everything that I’ve done in my life up to now has led me to this moment, every class that I’ve sat through, every test that I’ve taken, every extra credit assignment I’ve done to pull an A. I feel like senior year, this is.the year where you have to lock in, and you’ve got to really give it your all, because this is essentially what you’ve been working for for the past 18 years.”
While being a senior, students also have to stay on top of current happenings, like what it takes to graduate along with all the other considerations about their futures and what they plan to do as things change.
“Being a senior is stressful because all the stuff you need to graduate is tough,” Senior Mariah Shifflett said. “The senior cap and gown stuff is expensive, and getting your grades up and your absences good, including all of your credits.”
Graduating also comes with the task of applying to colleges which is said to be another stressful thing added on to the list of things that comes with being a senior (if students plan on attending a college of course).
“Applying for college is like another class, you have to cut time out of your schedule to sit down and get it done,” Malcolm said. “Because it’s time consuming. Especially initially, like the main common app essay, it’s something you’ve really got to think about. And it’s you trying to sell yourself almost, or allowing somebody that knows nothing about you to understand everything about you. And just one essay, it’s very difficult. And it takes a lot of time and a lot of thought, and that will topple your normal classwork.”
Although many seniors deal with many responsibilities that are said to be important, the college application process is not something that should be overlooked or done without any thought behind it. Seniors need to consider what the results may be if it were to be not taken as seriously or with as much effort.
“It’s a very stressful time,” Senior Lawton Rowan said. “But it’s important for people to take it slow, to really understand the value of what they’re doing. So they don’t feel bad about it, you know, they don’t feel like they’re wasting their time. Everything you do your senior year has a lot of value. And so it’s about managing that time, which is also a good skill you learn in high school.”
Over time, through one’s high school career there are many experiences , both good and bad, that a student might go through, leaving some sort of effect on them that also allows them to learn from it.
“High school had a positive impact on me and helped me to grow as a person and has helped me make friends and connections,” Senior Bradley Christenson said. “I feel like I’ve gotten better about reading my surroundings and picking up on small things.”
Being a senior can mean a variety of things to many different people, each leaving a contrasting impression or lesson learned.
“For me, being a senior means growing into something more, you made it so far in life, all you can do is grow and achieve more,” Shifflett said. “Graduating, for me, is looking into the future and seeing all of the opportunities I have before me.”
What a senior will leave behind on the classes after they graduate and move on to bigger things in life is essentially what part of being a senior means to some.
“Being a senior specifically for me, especially on sports teams, and just in the classroom with every underclassmen I interact with, it’s really an obligation to pass the torch if you will,” Rowan said. “To be able to give some direction, some guidance for these people coming up.”
