A new school year has arrived at LDHS, and the stress of balancing schoolwork, extracurriculars and social life has come back, especially for seniors. With the added weight of college applications and standardized tests, it is no surprise that a high percentage of high school seniors experience moderate to severe levels of stress. However, the amount of stress each student encounters can ultimately depend on the amount of pressure they place on themselves, including the extracurricular activities they participate in and the colleges they plan to attend.
A few seniors here at LDHS are high academic performers. This portion of seniors focuses on academic excellence and running for the highest leadership positions in any club or organization that fits their interests. Senior Destiny Cook is an example of this type of student as she is an ambitious individual who strives to go to a top university to pursue her passion in nuclear chemistry. Cook has planned to apply to Duke, Swarthmore and Rice Universities, some of the finest schools in the United States with less than a 10% acceptance rate. Additionally, she holds numerous leadership positions and continues to work an after-school job.
“I work up to 14 hours a week as an after-school tutor. I struggle to juggle everything as I am in five different clubs and have leadership positions in three,” Cook said. “I am also in two dual enrollment classes, so the workload is double what it was in my junior year.”
With Cook aiming to attend a top university while majoring in something as difficult as nuclear chemistry, the weight of her extracurriculars and advanced courses continues to add on to the amount of stress she undergoes during her senior year. This stress caused by her full schedule is not necessary for Cook to endure, but she views it as a mandatory feature in order to achieve all of her goals. Furthermore, she expresses how her current actions are building onto her future career path, and she utilizes her time to focus solely on the future.
“I work on the finance side in all the clubs I lead,” she said. “This causes me to be the essential piece of most of the clubs I am a part of, adding more stress on me to help set up the future.”
Cook has now seen firsthand the stress that senior year holds for every student at LDHS, so she gives advice to rising seniors as they prepare for the new level of work they may encounter for the upcoming year.
“My advice is to start early,” Cook said. “You need to take it as seriously as you would your senior year. Start writing your essays early and have your application done as soon as possible to reduce stress.”
As Cook continues her journey through the rigorous application process, there are other numerous seniors that are able to balance their applications along with their schoolwork and
extracurriculars with minimal stress. This group of students focuses on achieving decent grades with only a few activities and intend to apply to universities that are moderately selective. Senior Lizzie Lyda is an example of a student who does what is necessary without the excess amount of stress during her application process. Although Lyda does encounter a few moments with stress, she is able to manage it well without it getting out of hand and does not add any unnecessary pressure on herself.
“Balancing schoolwork, applications and activities can be hard,” Lyda said. “However, using proper time management skills will always help lower the stress.”
Lyda has recently been accepted to Lander University and is a part of two clubs. She is currently the secretary for Beta Club and an active member of the LDHS Girls’ Golf Team. With her college applications completely finished, there is hardly any stress for her to deal with through the remainder of her senior year. Similar to Cook’s previous advice, Lyda expresses what she has done to achieve a low amount of stress and the importance of standardized test preparation before senior year.
“Study for and take the SAT before the start of senior year to go ahead and get it out of the way. An academically busy junior year makes for a smooth and easier senior year,” Lyda said.
To reduce the amount of stress any students may encounter during their senior year, early preparation seems to be the best advice from both seniors. Whether any senior at LDHS is able to take on a large amount of pressure like Cook or focus on the enjoyment of school events like Lyda, the stress of senior year arrives differently for everyone. Nevertheless, senior year is the last year for any student in high school and should be filled with the enjoyment and gratitude of reaching the finish line.
