The duality of senior year: college applications and senioritis

Photo by Advaith Avadhanum

A collection of my late passes to 2nd period due to my senioritis.

From the dreaded college application process to the experience as a full-fledged second semester senior (which is not as great as it seems), senior year is filled to the brim with highs and lows. 

In the fall, supplemental essays for colleges seem like climbing a never ending mountain. Somehow teacher find the most heinous times to assign big exams that conflict with major application due dates. This is why it’s important to have good time and stress management skills, but also to know how to relax and have fun. Taking from my current experiences, here are some tips I would suggest for rising seniors:

1. Participate in a sport

While joining a fall or winter sport might seem a bit counterintuitive amid fast-approaching deadlines and a strenuous workload, I actually found it helped my productivity. Through wrestling, I developed close bonds with my teammates and found just participating in two hours of practice every day with friends greatly improved my mood and productivity. 

Instead of lazing around after school and waiting to cram all my schoolwork and college applications after dinner, I tackle tasks more quickly. 

2. Don’t be too easily swayed

When it comes to consulting others about college applications, everyone seems to have a different opinion. Between my mom, various counselors and other parents, I was bombarded with a stream of ever changing information. When it came to compiling my list of colleges to apply to, opinions were polarized and varied: Some suggested applying only to schools outside the top 50, while others suggested I lean toward predominantly Ivy League options. 

While I chose a sort of middle-ground, it’s important to listen to others and understand their perspective, but ultimately stick to your own decisions. 

Similarly, when it came to writing essays, even minutes before submission, my parents had different ideas on how I could improve my writing — at least in their opinion. For example, my mom never got past reading the first two sentences of my essay for a while, since she hated how I wrote “only one,” instead of “one,” because she thought it was overdramatic. 

While outside perspective and editing is useful, ultimately, the person who writes the application (you) should be the one making the final calls.

3. Talk to more underclassmen

Especially as a second semester senior, I found talking to underclassmen really fun and interesting. While more naive, they also often have exciting stories to share. Furthermore, I found that the advice my upperclassmen gave me was helpful in tackling high school. From past graduates, I received help with editing essays for English class, tutoring for math and more. Bonding and mentoring underclassmen is a satisfying way of helping others and giving back to the community.

4. Learn to drive earlier

One of my biggest regrets is not learning to drive until the second semester of senior year. As I began to practice driving recently, I’ll have to wait until summer until I can officially obtain my driver’s license — there’s a 6-month period between getting your permit and taking your driving test. Instead of being able to drive off campus at lunch to get boba, I’m stuck eating cafeteria food and very much bobaless. The advantage of learning to drive early is clear.

During junior year summer and first semester, I tried to rationalize that  I was “too busy with college applications to learn to drive,” which I would not recommend others to do. Just get your permit and start practicing when you turn 15.5 — your future self will thank you.

Senior year might be approaching fast for the juniors, but don’t stress too much about it. While it’s important to be productive and submit the best college application you can, remember to enjoy yourself. Especially in second semester, you’ll have more time to try out new hobbies and sleep in late (much to the dismay of some teachers), so have fun with it!