1.The year of lasts

Senior year is the year of lasts. Our last Homecoming week, our last first day of school, our last home game –  which were all followed by tears from at least one person (Maxwell). But some of it was not so sad, like the last SAT and the last 1st trimester exams. All of which leaves a weird feeling of relief and strangeness, and then you hear in the senior room “OMG this is our last 4th Wednesday of school” or “This is the last time I’ll take my 6th quiz in Ms. Carter’s Class!”

2. College Applications are so stressful

We hear the seniors complain about them every year: the dreaded college applications. We were even warned at the end of Junior year by Mrs. Andracchio and all the other teachers to go ahead and start, because this fall was going to be crazy. In the back of our minds, we all knew in a way it was going to be a lot, but we had no idea. “What do I put for this?,” “Is it bad if I use the same essay for this as if use for this,” “Where do I even apply?,” “Why am I applying to 7 schools,” “Why do they need to know when my mom purchased her car?” All common and realistic questions floating around way too often. Most importantly, how are we supposed to complete these and do well in the 5 AP classes we thought were a good idea to take. To lessen that stress, items like CBD Oil UK might be helpful.

3. The need for everything to be perfect and to be involved in everything

We all have this fear that senior year is not going to be everything it is supposed to be. So in between college applications, school work, and practices, we are all trying to be at literally everything. As in the past, we might have missed the football game or function with friends because we simply were not in the mood. But this year, it is set in our minds that this is our last year here and it needs to be the best ever, and we are trying to make it that way (so far so good)!

4. We feel SO old

The first few weeks were the weirdest because, looking around, we are the oldest ones on campus. Walking down the middle school hall, seeing 6th graders that we are certain were in 2nd grade last year, is also pretty startling. There was also a time when we knew the name of every person on campus and now there are some faces we don’t recognize, immediately making us feel way too old. Scariest moment yet: when a lower school student said “yes ma’am” to me while I was working the ice cream sale.

5. The dreaded “Where are you going to college?”

I know everyone wants to know where we are headed and believe us, we do too. But this is the worst question ever! It is November, a lot our applications aren’t even due yet, and for the ones we’ve sent, we are mostly still anxiously awaiting the acceptance (hopefully). Even after we have sent out our applications, most of us still have to narrow down where we actually want to go. Trying to explain all this to someone else is extremely difficult when we don’t even really understand it ourselves.

6. Senioritis

I never really believed this was a real thing, but wow was I wrong. Our whole school career we’ve had that motivation of having the highest GPA and the best grades for colleges to see on our applications. Well, what happens when you’ve already sent in your applications or have already gotten accepted? Of course, we all still want to do well, but that desire is just a little bit harder to find. Those thoughts like “Would it really be that bad if I missed Stats homework one night?” or “It’ll be okay if I don’t study for Mrs. Baker- Smith’s literary terms test this week, I’ll just do extra well on the next one” are quite recurring.

7. All the perks of senior year

Yes, senior year is very stressful, but with every down side there is definitely a positive. It’s only November and we’ve had senior pictures, senior nights for sports, the haunted house, we get long lunch 3 times a week, the senior room, and there’s much more we are looking forward too. Don’t let our stress fool you, we are having a great year and being a senior is super fun.

8. Grasping the concept that we are actually attending college next year

We are sending in college applications, taking tours, and talking about college all the time, but very few of us have really accepted that this is happening…soon! In a quick 10 months, we will be on our own in a new place and we haven’t really decided if this is exciting or terrifying yet. We all know we are going to college, but we are also in denial about actually going to college… it’s hard to explain (it’s a senior thing)!

9. We cry …. A LOT

With all the stress, happiness, excitement and every other emotion that comes with senior year, sometimes the only thing to do is cry, and let me assure you, the class of 2017 is doing plenty of crying. We’ve been in school since August, and I don’t think there’s been a day when I haven’t seen a senior crying. It’s not always sad tears, sometimes we just can’t deal with all the emotions flooding in. Some of the common things seniors get emotional about includes: getting accepted into college, applying to college, maybe it’s senior night for that sport they’ve been playing since 7th grade, they didn’t know a single answer on that AP test, seniors having the weekly discussion how they are all going to be scattered across the country next year, their SAT scores went up, their SAT scores went down, they got an A on that impossible test, it’s their last practice, they don’t know what to write their essay about, they realized they have a test today they didn’t study for, or their just having one of those days .. we cry. So don’t be alarmed if you see a senior walking down the hall crying, they’re okay, it just happens. Maxwell’s already cried 22 times this year … yes we are counting.

10. We love each other, our teachers, and our school more than we ever even knew

If you’ve been a part of our class for 1 year or 14 years, then you know we are all one big dysfunctional family. We know each other incredibly well… almost too well in some cases. Most of us have grown up together. We’ve seen the awkward stages, the braces, the questionable middle school fashions, and every embarrassing, happy, sad, experiences in between. The thought of leaving each other next year is sad and quite horrifying. Leaving each other also comes with leaving the place we all call our second home. The teachers who’ve not only helped us with homework, but listened to all our complaints, dealt with our high stress levels, and were just there to support us every step along the way. We are all excited about what’s coming next and somedays graduation can’t come soon enough, but we sure are all going to miss this place and the people that have become our family.