“Senior year is a blast!” “Junior year is a lot of work but it totally becomes worth it when senior year rolls around.” “Senior year is a breeze!”

But is it? From applying to college, to taking multiple AP courses, the idea of being a senior seems nothing like people make it out to be. Movies, TV shows and popular media display senior year as a year of fun and ease with nothing stressful in sight, but when it comes down to it, how fun can senior year be for a college bound stressed out teenager? Does general society misrepresent senior year? The short answer is yes.

During your senior year at South, there is a long list of things to be done. “You need to get all your essays done for your applications, you have to fill out the Common App, if you’re applying somewhere that doesn’t use the Common App, you have to do those, you have to make sure you’re getting your scores sent out, and that time of year is really expensive because you’re sending out all the applications you have to pay for, meanwhile you’re suppose to maintain your grades and work,” senior Betty Mfalungundi says full of ease, since she herself went through this process only a few short months ago.

This spring when I went to sign up for my senior classes, I was surprised. Looking at my class options, everything was either AP or CIS. The idea of being in all AP/CIS classes sounds far from the fun that people make senior year out to be. Considering that most AP and CIS classes require a lot of out of class time for homework and other assignments, that leaves you with little time for college stuff, let alone fun and down time.

Not only do students have to worry about college applications, essays, and fees, they have to start considering whether they’re emotionally ready to leave home and plunge into full on independence. You have to weigh your options of if you want to go to a school close to home and stay by your support systems, or if you are ready to leave your parents, siblings, and most importantly your pets and go to an out of state school.

So with all that said, where is there room for the fun? As scary and sad as it seems, lots of juniors are asking themselves similar questions.

“I’m definitely worried that all the tasks I will have to accomplish will put a damper on my last experience in high school,” Tosin Odumuye, a junior at South says, acknowledging the specific fears she has when it comes to senior year. When it comes down to it, thinking about senior year is stressful. Trying to plan out your year so it goes as smoothly as possible is harder than it looks.

“Remembering when my sister was a senior, I know it’s going to be scary and hard work. It’s your last chance to show yourself off to colleges, it’s the time you will take some of your hardest classes, and lots of seniors hold captain or leadership roles in the extra curriculars they are involved in. I know it will require perseverance and focus,” Odumuye said.

Being a captain of the women’s soccer team at South, she herself will be faced with having to balance her time and energy between soccer, school, and applying to college.

High school is full of stress, deadlines, and due dates. But wouldn’t it be easier for us all, students and teachers, if we acknowledged the difficulties of senior year instead of hiding them behind this image of ease that the general society paints for us? Wouldn’t it be easier to reach out to seniors to make sure they are able to balance everything in a healthy way mentally, instead of telling them to enjoy themselves when it’s not as simple as it seems? I think we would be better off if we faced the stress head on and gave resources, and more importantly more time to senior students so they can have fun and enjoy their last year at South.