It seems like there might be ten million articles offering advice to now second-semester high school seniors. Advice telling them to savor their second semester, to start getting ready to leave for college, and other hard to follow advice. From someone who has lived through a senior year during the second semester, I’m going to offer even more advice: stop reading the articles.
Senior year is hard enough without being overwhelmed by the vast amounts of differing advice from now college freshman. At times, it seems like there is more to think about second semester than there are during first. While college applications have been debated, obsessed, and worried over, it’s now become time to make THE decision. College is praying heavy on all of their minds, and the newfound delight at finally being a senior has faded into anxiety about what is coming next. Having excess amounts of advice and success about kids that are being paid to go to their dream school or some other ridiculous story are just increasing the levels of panic and anxiety. Of course, not all seniors are in the midst of panic, and for some, it might never hit, but for a lot, the pressure to make the correct decision is overwhelming.
My own second semester was wrought with indecisiveness and overall worry about my ultimate destination. I often found myself clicking through various articles, reading the success stories, and then having slight panic at my lack of success story at the time. I lost myself in the panic for college instead of holding onto my fleeting moments of just being a high school senior. I was distracted from my sports, my friends, and my family.
To the seniors: this decision you’re about to make is hugely important, there’s no denying that. It just doesn’t have to be everything you think about from now until May 1st. Give yourself time to enjoy being a senior, because you have months to make your decision. And while, yes, this is just another article offering advice, let this be the last article you read. The stress of being a second semester senior is more than enough without being overwhelmed by the words of everyone else. In the end, one voice is enough, and only one voice matters: yours.
