To all freshman, sophomore, and junior readers, I’m sorry to be the one to tell you that you have not been through the worst of it yet. No other time in high school can compare to the monster that is senior year. You’re taking the most challenging classes of your entire high school career while slowly making your way through your college essays. You know the relief you feel when you finally finish all your tests for the week and feel like you can finally take a breath? Well, that doesn’t really exist as a senior. The assignments and college applications feel never-ending. While there’s not much you can do to make your senior year easy, here’s what has been helpful in making my senior year a bit more bearable.
Keep Your Lunch Sacred
Junior me was no stranger to doing homework during lunch. Taking one of the dozen tasks off my to-do list for the day seemed efficient, relieving a small bit of the chaos I knew I would be dealing with that night. One of the many things senior year has revealed to me is the importance of protecting lunchtime. Enjoying a meeting-free and homework-free lunch has been a game changer. This small break during the day that I used to view as unimportant has made senior year more fun and memorable despite all of the work and stress. Going off campus with friends has been a highlight of my year so far, and it’s thanks to viewing the lunch break as a need rather than a privilege.
Make Sure You Have Your Driver’s License
The twenty minutes I spend driving to school each morning is one of my favorite parts of the day. Listening to my favorite music and having a matcha or coffee to sip on is the perfect way to relax before classes and an overwhelming amount of assignments and college applications. While I do occasionally miss spending time with my mom on the drive to school, I love having the independence that comes with having a license and my own car. Plus, driving to school will allow you to easily escape school during free periods and lunch.
Rock Those College Sweatshirts
For a chronic uniform-wearer like myself, senior year privileges have been an exciting change of pace. Spicing up boring outfits with a college sweatshirt is an option now. After wearing crewnecks and hoodies with Westridge logos for years, you can finally incorporate colors other than green, black, and white into your outfits. And whenever you get overwhelmed with the amount of work on your plate, you can glance at your sweatshirt to remember that you are so, so close to the finish line.
Say “Yes” as Much as You Can. But Say “No” When You Need To
I used to think that saying “yes” to hanging out with friends or going to a sports game after school was wasting time I could use working on homework and studying for tests. This year, I’ve learned that embracing opportunities to spend time with friends and have fun can do wonders for your productivity. You may think that studying for five hours straight is what you need to do to get your work done, but halfway through, you’ll realize that you’re too mentally exhausted to continue. Breaking up study periods or weekends with a bit of fun will increase your productivity and make you dread work less. It’s also completely fine to say “no” when you need to. The amount of work in senior year may leave you with less free time, so sacrificing some time with friends and other socializing opportunities, although not ideal, is common.
Create Little Traditions for Yourself
Whether it’s getting frozen yogurt with your friends or getting a coffee before school from your favorite spot once a week, small rituals like these make long and tiring weeks a little more tolerable. For me, it’s Starbucks runs every Wednesday mornings and cafe lunches once every few weeks. Holding onto these small traditions throughout the year will enhance your day or week, as you always have something to look forward to.
