The end of senior year. A nice time in the spring, on the verge of summer, and on the verge of a new life as no longer a high school student, but as a college freshman. Leaving makes the parents soft, but rather than students being too sad, they are excited to basically go back to the bottom of the barrel again. Going from kings of the school to the peasants in a new state (or country) is the reality seniors need to embrace.

Senior year is one of the most coveted times in a person’s life. There is prom, graduation, and a bunch of other stuff I cannot think of, and I am a senior.  Needless to say, there is a lot of hype that comes with being in your fourth and final year of high school illustrated by movies and past seniors. Senior Pierre Bagel says, “I remember seniors being the people who don’t care about anything, and I can do that.” Even if you are someone who is on top of everything, being a senior turns you into a lazy person. Senior Connor Goodman also says, “You hear about how fun it is, and I am enjoying it.” Senior Devin Panjwani says, “It was easier than most years and relaxed.” It is what you make of it, because if you burdened yourself with a bunch of Advanced Placement classes, that is your experience. You are basically going to remember Issaquah as a place that gave you endless piles of homework and tests, along with an exam possibly bigger than your final. Some people enjoy that though (I had a good time taking both of my exams).

The social part for seniors is pretty great. In the simple words, seniors are almost worshipped by underclassmen, because they know they will soon be in that spot, and are excited. Some take it a little too far though. Senior Caroline O’Neill says, “I think seniors acted that everyone else was in their control.” The senior power gets to some of us. I know, sitting on the other side of the stands can really give people a power-trip, but it does not make you all knowing.

High school does make you learn a lot. Yes, the book smarts, but also in how to deal with amazing opportunities, along with pretty crumby situations. I can tell you now: someone will wrong you, and multiple people will probably try to bring you down, but also so many more people will give you the greatest experiences and make you learn that life is awesome. You will lose your closest friends, and not with malice or because you hate each other, but because you were taken on different paths, and that is okay. Those who did hurt your feelings though, remember that people make mistakes, and you will too, so do not go judging others too quickly. On the other hand, that kid you met at the end of eighth grade on a Disneyland band trip will turn out to be your best friend until the end of time. It varies, and you have to learn to go with the flow, and be thankful for every single thing that happened.

The basic curriculum we take sometimes can be a pain in the butt, but with more options as you get through the years, you realize what you want to do. Senior Haley Morris says, “I’m super excited to move on to college and get to pursue things that I am passionate about.” Some of us figure out what we want to do earlier, and that makes taking classes here at the high school easier. Goodman said the year went super-fast because, “Unlike most years, the classes I am in now are the classes I want to be in.” Even if the class is not for you, the teachers here have made a huge impact on my life, and I am sure they also have on my fellow classmates. Senior Alexia Brown says, “With so many influential teachers and staff, I’ve been able to find my true passions and interests for the future.”

“It’s kind of hard to believe that a whole four years of my life has passed by and it feels like such a short time,” says senior Ally Altimore. You really do not expect it to go by that fast. It is four years, after all. Senior Jack Latham says, “My perception of [the year] was faster than usual.” Bagel says, “I think it was a good time because we all had our minds set on the end of the school year that it just flew by. I would love to have one more year with all those people.” With the expectations, there are things we do not really see coming. Senior Jake Shin says, “Realizing the feeling that you are graduating and going to college” is something you do not really know about until you are there. Morris said, “I guess that I had the expectation that senior year was easy, and that you don’t even really have to do the whole ‘school’ thing, and that you could just skip whenever you felt like it. That wasn’t the case.” Yeah, you still have to go to do all of your graduation requirements. Also, if you are set on a college, be sure to do the work for it. Altimore adds, “The college application process was more work than I was expecting.” It is the year you apply to the university, and I feel not many people are aware of how long it takes to actually apply.

With all the hype of being a senior, there must be something that did not live up to the talk. Goodman says, “Being in the lower lot is not that great. It still takes forever to leave.” Well, if you do not run, it does. Brown says, “Senior assassin was overhyped.” It is definitely war, so the seniors who sign up next year, be ready. No one is your friend (my own twin brother tricked me into thinking he was out when in reality he was my assassin). “Nothing is overhyped,” says Senior Emma Smith.  “It depends on what you make of your senior year,” Smith also adds. To each is own, so give yourself a good time. Do not stress yourself out, because everything works out. Altimore adds, “For me, the thing that was most overhyped was finding the perfect college.” Go to where you want to go. If you get rejected, it is not the end of the world.

If the workload scares you, just remember you grow into it. You slowly advance without even knowing it. In the simplest words though, high school is work. To get to where you want to be, you have to work, but that is everything in life, is it not? Brown says, “I’ve put a lot of hard work and effort to get where I am and I’m hoping for the best.” Goodman also says, “I think I have tried my best these four years.” The satisfaction of knowing you did your best is the best reward. Imagine finishing any project you have been working on this long, and seeing the end result, and you know you could have put in more effort. Knowing you could have done more is what makes us regret, so have no regrets.

Most of us feel sad because we have become sentimental about this experience. It is a grand achievement to finish this part of our lives. I am totally euphoric thinking about being to have more time to do things I want to do next year, but I have gotten used to such a schedule. I have gotten used to this location and all the things you are supposed to be. This is the first time that the next step is uncertain. We always had the high school to go back to after every summer, but this is the first time that there is a different destination for everyone else. A different plan for every senior, and now the uncertainty of ever really seeing each other again if we do not try is real. It is like, you now know who is your friend; the ones you try to see again, or who tries to see you.

High school is where you grow, but I feel college is where you really learn who you are. High school could be considered the necessary evil. You could go without it, and earn your GED elsewhere (which is a totally perfect method), but you miss out on a lot of learning experiences you need for actually living. It was a time of obstacles and openings, and I think for most of us, those openings overpowered the obstacles. “I feel like a million dollars about graduation,” says Brown. We should all feel like that. We finished high school! We finished these fat, four years to see the other side. Enjoy and remember this time, but do not dwell on the past too much, or you might miss what is coming next. I can assure that it will be infinitely better.