Senior Special: Balancing College Applications with School
December 14, 2021
Including those in their freshman year, many of us have the idea of college in our minds, getting us ready to pave our roads to a new chapter in our lives. Until the second semester of junior year, when we begin to have college counseling classes with Mr. Petrone and Ms. Miller, this idea stays abstract. The summer before senior year, college begins to shed out of the form of an idea and, once senior year begins, it fully matures into a reality.
This journey is one that nobody has gone through before. Not only is there the component of researching colleges, attending information sessions, writing college applications, and getting interviewed, but there is also school. Our high school. Our typical 8 AM to 3 PM school routine suddenly feels foreign and it becomes incredibly difficult to find our rhythm.
As a senior, I got to first-hand experience this simulation-like life-style, coming to understand why my senior friends in the past had stressed like never before. Especially with it being my first year back to in-person school, I personally have found it beyond challenging to be studying to maintain my grades, researching for my papers, and preparing for Socratic Seminars, all while trying to write a 600-word essay on what brings me to life. After all, I have grown to love studying, researching, and preparing with my peers and teachers.
This all goes to say that, though the process has been difficult, we come out of it alive. We, seniors, find our routines, learn how to prioritize, recognize when to take extra responsibility. Receiving mentorship from our own college friends, our dear college counselors, and our supportive teachers, we are able to mature and create a package so beautiful. While we anxiously wait for the results to be released, the hard work of the seniors is appreciated and recognized. The journey clearly isn’t a flower road, but we come out of it prouder than ever.