Senior year has finally struck for the class of 2024, and students hit the ground running. Semester one is known for leaving IB students with an endless list of to-dos. From Extended Essays and Internal Assessments to Common App craziness, the work piles up quickly. After three years, the seniors have come so far, yet there still seems to be so much to go.
“Senioritis” is the commonly used word to describe the decline of attendance and grades in the last year of high school. However, as seniors are putting in the work to get accepted to their dream universities, they must also end high school strong. Some students had the preconceived notion that senior year would be laid back – the easiest year of high school. These same students were faced with bitter disappointment when they realized this was not so. One of these students is senior Langley Pickens who said, “I feel like I was scammed into thinking senior year would be a breeze.”
Most seniors’ after-school activities consist of crouching over the computer, browsing the internet for IA topics, meeting with college counselors, or writing an endless supply of supplemental application essays. All of that rests on top of the everyday classwork, clubs, and sports that students have piled up to fill their resumes. “I literally spend every second of my free time working on one thing or another for school,” said senior Keller Martin. “It feels like it will never end.”
With Labor Day weekend past, seniors are now counting down the days until fall break. That or summer break and their final descent towards college. Most applications are due between the months of Nov. and Dec. which means that the second semester of senior year is nothing but a waiting game. However, with North Atlanta’s history of excellence and IB/AP curriculum, students are sure to end up successful at whatever college they attend. “My dream would be to go to the University of Southern California,” said senior Luke McCullough. “But I know I’ll be happy wherever I end up.”
In the midst of all this chaos, seniors need a reminder to pause and take things in. The year will speed by and it is important to make memories that last. Despite any bitterness about workload, big things are coming and seniors should make every day a celebration. As Ferris Bueller once said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
