It’s 1:47 a.m. on a Tuesday. My Common App essay draft is open in one tab, an unfinished AP Literature assignment in another and I’m debating whether five hours of sleep is ambitious or just wishful thinking. Somewhere between college applications, school deadlines and pretending to enjoy senior year, the year I have been told would be a breeze, it hits me: This is what they call the easy part?
Almost every adult that hears I’m a senior greets me with an “Oh, you must just be coasting through now.” Not quite. Between the email I’ve rewritten five times to a college admissions office and my tab open on the FAFSA website, I continue to pretend I’m soaking in my “lasts.”
No one tells you how heavy senior year really is.
While most college counselors urge students to start their college essays and supplements over the summer, the truth is, procrastination drags the application up until the deadline. By the time we finally get around to doing it, there are 15 different versions of the same generic “why do you want to go to this university?” essay prompt due in 1 week.
When Nov. 1 rolls around and seniors can finally breathe, the first wave of senioritis begins to roll in rapidly and will not slow down anytime soon. We joke about this fake disease all the time, but the homework doesn’t just go away. The AP tests won’t just up and disappear. The pressure to maintain grades, especially with colleges still watching, is very much alive. Many colleges require final transcripts, which means slacking off isn’t just discouraged, it could be costly.
As I try to maintain a solid GPA, I find myself on the grade calculating app trying to figure out just how little I have to study for a test before my grades take a noticeable hit.
It’s not that we have forgotten about the importance of school, it’s the fact that we now see a whole life beyond it. Instead of wondering about my next homework assignment or quiz, I am daydreaming about the freedom and excitement of life after high school.
What makes it even harder is that, despite all the warnings, the emotional part still blindsides you. The quiet countdown to all the goodbyes we have to make. The last time we watch BDTV. The final home game at Kehler. Or even the last time we fight for a parking spot on Trinity Ave. We’re leaving friends, family and routines we’ve always known.
And yet, somehow, we push through. It’s the moments where we are reminded of that rewarding feeling that we endured these past four years that make it all worth it. Soon we will walk across that stage, looking back on some of the toughest years, and realize not only just how far we’ve come, but how ready we are to go further.