Myth vs Reality: Senior Year

MYTH: Applying to college is fun. Ever since my brother first started applying to college, I thought to myself, "I can't wait to do that! I like writing essays! It'll be easy! It'll be fun!"
REALITY: Applying to college is one of the most stressful things you will ever do. Unless you become a neurosurgeon. Writing college essays is NOT fun. Applying is NOT easy. November 1st comes quicker than you ever think it will.

MYTH: When you're a senior, you do all kinds of Hallmark-movie/Indie-music-video worthy things with your friends.

REALITY: Ain't nobody got TIME for that! 

MYTH: You take only the easiest classes senior year and have no homework.

REALITY: There's a thing called college, and these people that let you into them don't want to see a senior year schedule filled with "Word Processing", "Art I", "Guitar Lab", "Agriculture", and "Aiding", as wonderful as that would be.

MYTH: Underclassmen will treat you like gods and goddesses.

REALITY: Sophomores will think you're freshmen and freshmen will treat you like dirt.

MYTH: You will participate in everything quintessentially "American High School".

REALITY: After four years of it, you will be jaded by the entire notion of a "school function", "class meeting", or "homecoming dance". You will stay home, watch Netflix, and mourn the passing of your youth. Or you will go and groan about the insolence of your fellow classmates.

MYTH: By the time you're a senior, you will be friends with nearly everyone in your class.

REALITY: By the time you're a senior, you realize that it is impossible to be friends with everyone, and that you are perfectly content with the select few you've commiserated with over the last four years.

MYTH: Somewhere along the way, you will have managed to become cool, and look back on your middle-school self with shame and pity.

REALITY: You are that middle-schooler, except a little smarter, a little less hopeful, and a lot less excited for your 17-year-old self. You look back at your younger self, and you tell that little pip squeak to enjoy it while she can.

MYTH: Having a license means you go to new places and do new things ALL THE TIME.

REALITY: Having a license means you don't have to ride the bus anymore and listen to delinquents talk about the time they tried weed and how they want to try some Adderall next time while the skater dude smokes a caramel-mocha-flavored vape pen in the back.

MYTH: When you're a senior, adults will treat you as equals.

REALITY: When you're a senior, you're still a high schooler, and adults will treat you as such.

MYTH: You will cry with your friends over how much you'll miss each other once high school is over.

REALITY: You will cry alone about how stressed out you are and how much you want high school to end.

MYTH: You're a senior, so you obviously have your entire life planned out, including but not limited to: who you're marrying, how many kids you'll have, what your first dog's name will be, and who's getting all the money when you die.

REALITY: You're a senior, so getting out of bed is a humongous accomplishment. Everything after that is an added bonus.

MYTH: Senior year is the best year of your life.

REALITY: Senior year is NOT the best year of your life; however, it will be your best year of high school, and you will be able to write blog posts completely bashing seniority while you and everyone else secretly knows that seniors have it good. Live it up, have fun, and enjoy the last few months with some of the weirdest, coolest, most obnoxious, nicest, funniest, boringest, smartest, dumbest, most amazing people you'll ever meet.

Day 697 Song Recommendation: "Four Years" by Jon McLaughlin.

-SE Wagner