Second semester senior year is a time that all seniors have been looking forward to since freshman year. It’s the light at the end of the long tunnel of endless tests, homework, college applications and standardized tests. But like everything else, the future of my second semester senior year changed drastically when COVID-19 closed down the world.

After experiencing the better part of two semesters of online school, any hopes of having a fun second semester are remote at best. Vaccine distribution remains slow, and COVID-19 cases are at an all-time high. 

As things stand, it may be the most boring second semester for seniors in recorded history. 

My daily schedule consists of waking up, going to school and then playing video games and watching movies, which is pretty boring. Don’t get me wrong: It’s an easy life compared to many others during the pandemic, so if being bored is the worst of my pandemic experience, I am totally fine with that. 

Being quarantined has also had its upsides. School is easier and far more bearable than before. School days are shorter, and there is more flexibility for when I want to do my work.

Quarantine has also given me an opportunity to spend more time with my family before I leave for college.  

Still, the pandemic is wasting what is supposed to be the best semester of high school. Prior to COVID-19, I planned on taking more road trips to places like San Francisco or Los Angeles. It has been a long time since I have been to either city, and I wanted to revisit them. 

Now, visiting these places is not only dangerous but nearly pointless because so many stores are closed. Even if I couldn’t take road trips, I hoped to be hanging out with my friends more instead of being stuck at home. 

I was also looking forward to the senior traditions as a reward for our four years of hard work. Both of the Class of 2021’s proms are likely canceled and the fate of graduation remains unknown. 

The entire pandemic has felt like one big block of time. Every break feels too similar to school time because even with the extra time, there is nothing fun to do. Second semester senior year only introduced small changes to my day. Other than my days being more relaxed because of the end of college applications, nothing has really changed.

I hope the world can safely reopen in the months ahead. While mine and other seniors’ plans are on hold, I hope to realize them when quarantine finally ends.