Seniors face many challenges
Ben Kalkwarf
December 21, 1999The senior year is presumed to be the best year of high school. You supposedly have more freedom, underclassmen look up to you and life in general gets easier. Unfortunately, this is not true. Just like everything else in life you have to read the fine print.
First of all, you have to deal with the fact that decisions you make now will affect the rest of your life. Make the wrong choice and you're stuck wasting your life away miserably. You have to decide what you want to do with your life.
Once you make your choice, then you have to find the least painful and time consuming way to get there. For most people, this means college. To find the college you get to go through the mind numbing process of college fairs, millions of brochures in the mail, visiting colleges, and those annoying college recruting phone calls.
Money Issues
Then, there is the money issue. First, just to apply to a college you must spend a nonrefundable application fee, ranging from $20 to $50, or even greater. After that, you have to apply and hope your academic record is good enough for the various scholarships and grants. These two are the best ways because you don't have to pay them back, unlike student loans. All this money goes for tuition, housing, books, and hondreds of other things that are essential for college. Then, most likely you will want a part-time job to pay for all your entertainment expenses.
During this maddening process, you have to take certain tests to impress colleges to accept you. AP exams, ITEDs, ACT, SAT, GED, BBQ, XYZ, and ICUP tests all make you wonder if cutting open your head and sending them a photocopy of your brain wouldn't be simpler.
Senior apathy
Along with all this, there is a constant apathy that infects most seniors, that makes them wonder, "What is the point?" It's enough to drive anyone insane. No wonder colleges are called "institutions."
Being a senior doesn't make life easier, in fact, it's worse. But that's the point. High school is supposed to be the bottom. Surviving is the point.
Updated 12/24/99 by Mike Bowser