We are now in 2024, the year that most seniors have been anxiously awaiting.
This is the year that we will be graduating and starting the new chapter of our lives.
This is the year that we have been anticipating since first grade when they gave us our school issued email with “24-” proudly tacked on front.
It’s a year that felt fated to never arrive, and yet here we are: 2024. And what are the questions that follow us everywhere we go?
“What are your plans after graduation?”
“Are you going to college? Where?”
“What are you going to major in?”
While some seniors may know the answers to these questions, many still do not.
It seems ridiculous that we are expected to make such a huge life decision at such a young age.
This is the moment that the last four years have been building to and the pressure to get it “right” can feel crushing.
Even with the help of classes like career exploration, the options are daunting.
College is scary!
And the added burden of applications, acceptance/rejection letters and of course looming tuition costs do not make the process any less stressful.
Now that many people are past the application process and status letters have begun to arrive, the most pressing step becomes making a decision.
While making a decision seems like it would be easier than the endless steps of applying, it can honestly be the worst part.
Too many outside factors contribute to the stress of making your final choice, fully committing to the place you plan to spend a significant amount of your life and your money at.
People always say that you can transfer if you end up somewhere you are unhappy, and while this can be comforting, that shouldn’t be the goal.
You shouldn’t be picking your college with the safety-net notion that you will just go through the process all over again.
You should be picking the college that you can truly see yourself being happy at for the next four or more years.
So how do you do that?
Do you choose the school that you’ve been dreaming of for the last three years, or do you choose the school that gives you the most money?
Do you choose the school that is close to your friends and family, or the one that is far away for new beginnings?
Do you listen to the advice of family and mentors, or your gut?
It can sometimes get to the point where it feels as though everything is spinning wildly out of control as the pressure of the future and the endless expectations build.
When it starts to feel like that, the best thing for us to do is take a step back and breathe.
Live in the moment, do what you love, spend time with the people you care about the most, go to school events and just enjoy it all.
There are dances, sporting events, clubs to join and memories to make.
We are never going to be in high school again after graduation, those opportunities will be gone.
Even though there will be many more in college, more people to meet, more clubs to join, it is not the same. And it never will be, for better or for worse.
As of today, we have 75 days of high school left. What are you going to do with them?