Picture this: It’s college application season. There’s not one sugar-free RedBull in sight; In fact, the only thing on your desk is your laptop which holds within itself your goal SAT score, two perfectly written college essays, and two raving recommendation letters. The heavenly sound of angels can be heard singing off in the distance as you send in your perfectly-timed early application. This is the reality of senior year, right? Wrong. For the greater majority of North Atlanta’s seniors, the ever-approaching application season is the most stress-inducing, confusing time of the year. 

Senior confusion is a plague more common than senioritis. From the time we are thrown into elementary school college is shoved down our throats, only for the stress to build up for the next eleven years until suddenly is senior year and everyone is looking around at each other like, “What do we do now?”

Senior Cameron White finds there is absolutely no escape from his early-application confusion. “I have absolutely no clue what I’m doing,” he said. “Having to retake the SAT really set me back mentally, I just felt like I was so behind.” The truth is almost everyone feels behind, says White. “It’s impossible to talk to a senior about college and not bring up how behind we all feel.” 

As far as catching up? Senior Shania Barker says it’s all in the attitude. “The only way to catch up is to have a positive attitude,” she said. “Everybody’s application process is completely different, I had to stop comparing myself to everyone before I even began applying.” 

Whether it’s joining the workforce, peacecorp, military or shipping off to an ivy-league for four years of debt and a bachelor’s degree, there’s no one-way to end your senior year. So, as the tenth and eleventh floors begin to reek of sweat and anticipation, and the floors start to fill with zombified-seniors breaking from the stress of uncertainty, remember: the CCC is always open and so is the gas station, (For RedBull, of course.)