A Stressful Senior Year

Why Senior Year Is the Hardest Year To Get Through for Students

Photo by Christian Erfurt on Unsplash

Senior year. The year that is supposed to be carefree and relaxing. Although senior year comes with its many perks, there are a lot of stressful downsides to this frantic and chaotic year.  Despite the common belief that senior year is the easiest high school level, senior students are constantly balancing their college workload with their social life, especially during the first semester, making senior year one of the most difficult years to get through.

Most students hear or believe that junior year is the hardest school year to get through due to the strenuous class courses. Although this is true to some extent, the first semester of senior year is quite similar to junior year in regard to the workload. During senior year, students continue to take rigorous courses that fill up their schedules so colleges see they are serious about their education. It is also extremely important to point out that senior students are to not let their guard down academically or behaviorally, as college admission officers will take note of this. While it is uncommon, universities have the right to revoke any applications if they see a major drop in a senior student's academic progress when compared to previous high school years. It is crucial that seniors take this last year of high school seriously because senior year matters, whether a student thinks so or not.

Arguably, the factor that pushes students over the edge of senior year, and what makes this high school grade so stressful is college and everything that comes along with it. Not only do seniors have to keep up with their classes in their usual fashion, but they also must find the extra time to fill out the numerous college applications that in total, can take hours to accomplish. This is most certainly true during the first semester, as seniors must keep up with specific due dates to turn in their applications while also writing college essays. In addition, once seniors do complete applying to colleges, their college process has not finished but has only just begun. Seniors have to wait months before finding out if they got into their dream school, which could take a huge toll on a teenager's mental health. These daunting tasks can quickly add up on seniors' to-do lists and can make for an emotional and nerve-racking school year for students.

The final year of high school can be a whirlwind and seniors begin to experience a year of lasts; their last homecoming, their last football game and their last prom. Senior year is a time of celebration; a time to honor all the students who have worked all their high school experience for this and acknowledge that their time at high school is dwindling down, and a new chapter is soon to begin. Senior year is a rollercoaster of emotions for these young adults, and most of the time, students don’t realize what little time they have left with their friends until graduation hits.

During the four years of high school, the year that students long for the most is usually senior year. However, before entering senior year, students of all ages expect this year to be the easiest one yet; to let the infamous “senioritis” settle in, and to have a fun and relaxing last year of high school. While it is no shock that towards the end of senior year and during the second semester, seniors may begin to worry less because they finished the bulk of their high school assignments, seniors, undoubtedly, still have it rough. At the beginning of senior year, students work tirelessly to finish up college preparation, complete schoolwork for their every day classes and find the time to socialize all before the school year ends, and they leave to go to college. Sure, senior year has its fun times, but at the end of the day it is still an exhausting year to get through.

Moreover, it comes down to a personal decision to decide what year is the hardest for a student. Each student has their own separate and unique high school experience, and it all depends on what they individually believe. Certain circumstances could occur at any time throughout high school that could make or break a student’s year, altering their view on what year is the most demanding one. No matter the grade level, each high school year displays all sorts of challenges that help develop and strengthen teenagers' education which better prepares them for the future.