Senioritis

Angie Kidder

After trying to figure out our new schedules freshman year, taking on our very first AP classes sophomore year and just trying to handle the stressful load of work junior year, we have now officially begun senior year. For some of us, it may feel like a weight has been lifted off our shoulders, or the exact opposite with applications, auditions and all of our “lasts” coming up. Regardless of how we think of our entire high school experience, I encourage everyone to be proud of themselves because you’ve earned it, and stay in it because the best moments are yet to come. 

And now let's address the elephant in the room: college applications. Whether you’ve decided to continue your education in the arts or have decided to pursue other passions, we are expected by universities to sell ourselves, prove why we are the most deserving of a spot in their programs and somehow be the most “authentic” version of ourselves in just a couple hundred words. 

It feels impossible to try and find the “right” thing to write about, and maybe that’s because there’s no correct answer that college admissions are looking for. You don’t need to have a traumatic experience to get into Harvard or have the cure to cancer. The most exciting thing you could write about is when you’re not trying to fit into the mold that you believe they’re looking for, because honesty about who you are is the most interesting thing that someone could read about.

If there is any word of advice I want to give to the rest of my classmates, it’s that comparison is truly the thief of joy. We’ve heard this time and time again throughout our life, but it’s never as important as it is now. Just because the kid sitting next to you in class has already finished their college application does not mean that you are behind. Yes, I would recommend if you are applying to schools that you should start planning out your application and staying on top of things, but it's not the end of the world if you didn’t spend your summer on that. What I will encourage everyone to do is take a deep breath and focus on what’s going on in your life. Lock in and understand that you will fall behind if you keep comparing yourself to others that you deem ‘better’.

The concept of senioritis doesn’t just apply to falling behind in classes, but also it can keep us from staying in the moment of all the major events that we will experience this year. Yes, there’s a lot of work to still be done before we can truly relax but never let that stop you from having fun. There’s a lot of things to be taken seriously but making memories with the people that you love and spent your time at OCSA with should also be a priority.

Do all the corny things! Try to take advantage of all the little things around you, like dancing on 10th Street, going to all of the dances, having weekend adventures with your friends and making sappy senior memory boxes (even though chances are, you probably won’t even fill it up halfway). And these activities don’t have to be with the others around you as well. Taking time to reflect on your experience here, whether it's been six years or one, can make all the difference and give you a new found gratitude for all your memories.

We have finally reached the moment that we used to think was so far away back in kindergarten, when we were still learning how to tie our shoes. We're living in the high school stories from movies or TV shows that we thought were so cool. So if anything, do every little thing that life has to offer you this year for the kid inside you.