How to be a senior
I’ve heard a lot of myths about senior year during my time at high school, and I’ve found very few of them to be true. So I thought I’d bust some of these myths and offer perspectives I wish that I had going into my last year of high school:
How to battle senioritis – I, like so many others, believed I had senioritis beginning in sophomore year. Older and wiser friends told me I didn’t know what I was talking about, and I really, really didn’t. Juniors, senioritis is so much more than not wanting to do homework. Be prepared for waves of laziness, depression, and panic (sometimes at two a.m. the morning of an assignment deadline). There will be days when all you want to do is watch Disney movies. You will ask yourself if you care, and you won’t. Then you’ll worry slightly about not caring, then realize you don’t care about that either.
So, how does one be productive during senior year? The answer is to work when motivation strikes you. There will be moments when you can set your apathy aside and be sure to use those moments to quickly and efficiently finish assignments.
How many colleges to apply to – I hear people debating this point all the time. Really, it is an individual decision, but a good cap is ten. As for which schools to apply to: applying to colleges isn’t cheap, so don’t apply to any school you wouldn’t go to. Also, the last thing you want to happen is to end up applying to only “reach” schools, or only expensive schools you might need a scholarship to attend, and safety schools. Choosing between a dream school that will break your bank and Moorpark isn’t fun. Give yourself a variety of options, and include some schools in the middle – decent, affordable options for when you get waitlisted at Yale.
If you’re truly stuck between an impossible dream school and a safety, don’t panic if your dream doesn’t immediately manifest itself. Take time off to work and save up for that dream school, or earn credits at a community college so you can finish your degree quicker (and spend less) at the expensive school. Re-applying and/or transferring isn’t ideal, but it does show top colleges you are serious about attending their schools.
Work does not “wind down” – I was sorely mislead on this topic. I believed second semester senior year would be spent ditching school for the beach starting in January. It is not. In fact, I haven’t been to the beach since last year. Besides waiting for college decisions and possibly still applying to schools, which adds unimaginable stress to everyday life, you have homework up until May. Then, work comes screeching to a halt and you are left to your own devices for a month. Then, teachers assign “end of the year reflections” or “fun, un-stressful” projects. I used this time to study for AP tests, and take care of “official” college business, such as roommate searching. There will be a lot of movie days in class, so I recommend bringing a laptop or other work to school starting in May. If you truly have nothing to do – well, sleeping in never hurt anyone.
It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there – I have always had a terrible time with transitions, and senior year is the precipice of one of the biggest transitions of a lifetime. So, naturally, I’m stressed out. Add to this applying to colleges, rejections from colleges, and deciding between colleges as well as regular schoolwork. All of a sudden, it seems your friends are busy, almost absent, you’re about to move out of your home, and teachers just don’t stop with the homework. And when you get home to check your email, there it is: the admission decision from an ivy league and you can tell from the first line (“Our applicant pool was one of the most competitive, unfortunately we are unable to offer you admission at this time”) that your life is going to spiral out of control.
It’s not. It might seem like no one’s slowing down for you, that no one understands or has any sympathy. But this is just because everyone came home to the same email you did. Everyone has the same homework, the same worries about the future, and the same strange feeling that this is the end. Again, it is not. Take life one day at a time, drink a lot of tea, and don’t be afraid to sleep when you need it. Try to be as available as possible for your friends, and hopefully they will do the same. Ivy league admission isn’t worth your mental health or your friendships.
Senior year goes fast. There’s hardly time to slow down, and appreciate the friends you’ve made and the experiences you’ve shared. If I can offer one last piece of advice, it’s this: don’t waste this year caught up in your head being stressed. Expand your friend group, take a fun class, try a new sport, and find some time to be you, not who colleges want you to be. It’s important to retain your sanity – you’re going to need it.