As I looked at the people crowding the hallways, I felt my anxiety rise. The happiness that was clearly shown on their bright smiles! The care-free attitude that they had for life! Oh, how great it was to be a senior.
Of course, this was before the pandemic started. I was a freshman who had just hatched from the egg of elementary school. My expectations were set high for what high school would look like–especially for the luxurious life of being a senior. I was very wrong.
Being a senior meant to me that I was going to be at the top of the food chain. I thought I would finally be able to think on my own and become independent. I thought my course load would go smoothly because my time in school would be limited. I thought my life would be perfect because I would fully understand my purpose in life.
As a current senior now, I can say that none of these were achieved. I am extremely exhausted from school, and no amount of sleep can awaken me. As the leader of many clubs around the school, I often find that I have no motivation to plan an event because of the lack of energy that comes with gathering logistics and executing a plan. I have no motivation to complete any schoolwork because of the long, continuous list of assignments that plague my Google Classroom account. I have no happiness to finally be able to graduate because the finish line of high school seems very boring.
This isn’t an attack on any person’s senior expectations and dreams, but a warning: Be prepared for the endless battle of staying on task in your academics. Be prepared to understand that you might not be as independent as you thought you were going to be when you were a freshman. And be prepared to not be as happy as others during their senior year.
Instead of having such expectations, come up with plans on how you will enjoy your senior year–something that I wish I had done before August 22nd. Have fun events that you planned–or even events that you suggest clubs to plan–in order for your senior year to be filled with entertainment. Have a planner and motivational quotes ready so that you can keep yourself on task and ready to strive through your senior year course load. And finally, be ready for the tiring task of college applications.
Senior year is definitely a lot, but you will get through it. Good luck through your journey of preparing to leave high school.
Of course, this was before the pandemic started. I was a freshman who had just hatched from the egg of elementary school. My expectations were set high for what high school would look like–especially for the luxurious life of being a senior. I was very wrong.
Being a senior meant to me that I was going to be at the top of the food chain. I thought I would finally be able to think on my own and become independent. I thought my course load would go smoothly because my time in school would be limited. I thought my life would be perfect because I would fully understand my purpose in life.
As a current senior now, I can say that none of these were achieved. I am extremely exhausted from school, and no amount of sleep can awaken me. As the leader of many clubs around the school, I often find that I have no motivation to plan an event because of the lack of energy that comes with gathering logistics and executing a plan. I have no motivation to complete any schoolwork because of the long, continuous list of assignments that plague my Google Classroom account. I have no happiness to finally be able to graduate because the finish line of high school seems very boring.
This isn’t an attack on any person’s senior expectations and dreams, but a warning: Be prepared for the endless battle of staying on task in your academics. Be prepared to understand that you might not be as independent as you thought you were going to be when you were a freshman. And be prepared to not be as happy as others during their senior year.
Instead of having such expectations, come up with plans on how you will enjoy your senior year–something that I wish I had done before August 22nd. Have fun events that you planned–or even events that you suggest clubs to plan–in order for your senior year to be filled with entertainment. Have a planner and motivational quotes ready so that you can keep yourself on task and ready to strive through your senior year course load. And finally, be ready for the tiring task of college applications.
Senior year is definitely a lot, but you will get through it. Good luck through your journey of preparing to leave high school.
Quincy Bailey
