Dear senior survivalists (Opinion)

Stop, take a breath, and relax.

It’s been a while since any one of us have done that.

For me, I haven’t truly relaxed since before the start of junior year. As soon as the eleventh grade began, it was a shower of seemingly endless piles of work, club commitments, and heaps of test preparation in order to make myself look as impressive as possible to my prospective universities. I know I’m not unique; this was the shared experience of most of the students here at Carroll Senior High School. So many of my memories from junior year include witnessing people either crying or mentally unraveling in the 400 hall bathroom, subject to the occasional moment of weakness that accompanies overwhelming stress.

Then, senior year started. It was a year I had been looking forward to as soon as I became a freshman. A year that younger me thought would be filled with easy classes and a ridiculous amount of free time, a reward for the previous three years of high school I’ve endured. In reality, it was the beginning of the lawless wasteland of deadlines, essays, and personal questionnaires. It was a time most easily characterized by how much your Common Application completion and email notifications affect your emotional stability. People told me about the 5, 10, and sometimes more schools they were applying to and I realized I was a lucky one; I know what I want to do and where I want to go, so I only had to apply to a few schools. Now, even though I still have things to do, I find a small source of comfort knowing that I’ve accomplished at least one, and arguably the most important, part of the process.

So, I’ve decided to write to you, suffering senior. As we walk into winter break, remember to take a second to relax, whether your applications are all completed or you’ve still got a ways to go. To those of you who have gotten the ‘yes’ from your dream schools, congratulations! For those who haven’t, try to worry a little less. You never know what the new year has in store for you.