Although, this past month and the one ahead have made me question that view entirely. What is not always told are the numerous tasks you have to complete along the way before you can graduate.

     The biggest hurdle that comes around this time of year is choosing where to go to college. Around this time, all the decisions are in and all there is left to do is choose where to go, and for me, that was a major struggle. It was my biggest obstacle, but because most colleges have a deadline to choose by May 1, I felt pressured to make a decision fast. Choosing where you want to spend your next four years is such a daunting task. Each school can have their own benefits and it is easy to get stuck between so many options, but at the end of the day no one can choose where you should go, except for you. Not only are you looking at where you will go, or who you will live with, but then you have to consider how you will pay for college. At this time of the year, I found myself overwhelmed with scholarship applications on top of just doing normal school work.

     Before you can even graduate, you have to pass your classes and make sure you meet every graduation requirement. A majority of the requirements I had no problem with because I had them done. However, there are some things you do not know to complete like CPR training. I never knew I needed CPR training to graduate until this year. Not only are there graduation requirements, but you also have to make sure you have all the requirements to get your cords. I feel like I am constantly checking spreadsheets to make sure I have every single credit necessary, and for the things I don’t have, I’m scrambling to get them.

     Juggling all of this while trying to get through school can be hard. While the amount of work in classes for me has stayed the same since my junior year, it feels even harder this year because of senioritis. I am at the point where I am in a constant loop of just getting an assignment and working to get it done. It feels draining but I know I can’t quit now even though I’ve been accepted into college, because I know that the work I’m doing now can still make or break my GPA. 

     As a senior, I feel overwhelmed with information and tasks. I want to live in the moment, but I can’t because I have to look towards the future to complete things that will affect me later. It is hard to live in the moment, when you constantly have to look into the next. In the end, I know all of these trivial things will be worth it. On June 9, I will sit for hours in Minges with my peers, friends and family and walk across the stage to receive my diploma.