By Marley Brennan
Executive Opinion Editor
College applications, AP classes, sports, jobs. This is only a small fraction of the overwhelming to-do list seniors are facing. Throughout my years of high-school, especially as an underclassman, people always told me that junior year is the most difficult. Well, you can take it from me, that is not true.
For me, junior year went alright. It was definitely more rigorous and time-consuming than sophomore year and definitely more stressful because everyone is saying “colleges look at this year the most!” So, just when I thought the most difficult part of high school was over, cue first semester senior year. Wow! This was definitely a shock. For one, I upped my AP classes by one, I am still the Executive Opinion editor of the paper, and I joined cross country, which, if you don’t already know, takes up a lot of time.
Now, add on to all of that about 10 essays, supplementals for letters of recommendation, signing up for Common App and others, the UC activity sheet (why was the word count so high?!), and maintaining good grades while attending college meetings to express demonstrated interest. Yeah, I’d say this is worse than junior year.
Honestly, I didn’t do so well with the transition into my senior year. I got so lost in my school work, my sport, and starting a job with six hour shifts 2-3 times a week. My mental health definitely took a hit.
Now that I’ve settled into this year and found a way to balance my social, academic, and work life, I thought I’d share what has worked best for me.
Firstly, and most importantly, make time for yourself. I’ve become really good at setting aside some time for self-care, and no, this doesn’t mean a face mask or taking a bath. For me, self-care can mean even if I have a lot of work to do, taking a 30-minute nap first, and spending time with my parents, helping to cook dinner, or, honestly, going shopping. I am lucky because running helps my mental health more than anything, and this is something already built into my schedule.
Secondly, rely on your friends and family! Everyone is in the same boat, even if they don’t want to admit it, and everybody is struggling a little bit. Use this to talk to people if you’re having a hard time, get their advice. Reach out to your counselors! I promise they will help.
Lastly, enjoy it while you can. I know it’s cliche, but, seniors, it’s one semester and we’re already almost done. It is our last year of high school! Most of us are about to go to college and move onto our next chapter. We will always look back on college apps and the stressful AP classes, but also the memories of football games and the healing we found within our friends and our hometown. Let’s party hard in the second semester – we’re almost there.
So with that, I wish everybody good luck with finishing their applications, and I hope, above all, you prioritize yourself and your mental health.
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