Stephanie Rothstein writes her senior essay on the feeling of being a senior in high school:

A child is born and its primary purpose on this earth is to continually grow and learn in order to find its place in the world.

Learning, at first, to a child is walking, talking and communicating. Later, as a child enters the educational system, learning becomes a series of questions with a specific answer intending to increase the child’s knowledge. Year after year, the monotonous cycle continues, and the child never contemplates the purpose in attending school and gaining endless pieces of knowledge. However, there is a time in every child’s life when he or she must choose his or her own destiny.

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At this time, he or she realizes that the many years of pop quizzes and final exams were a way of preparing the child for that special year when goals are set and decisions are made.  The final year of high school, or senior year, is the most crucial time in every young person’s life.

The first four months of a teenager’s senior year are the most careless and carefree time of the year. Spirits are high and the anticipation of seeing old friends again is almost overwhelming. The hallways  are filled with students talking about the friends they met or the things they did over the summer. A feeling of superiority is shared by all the seniors and this common bond creates closeness for the graduating class. This is the last time to make a final appearance for the underclassmen.  

Being at the top is never lonely for seniors, often they are knowingly admired from afar because of the experience and maturity that is evident in the way they hold their head high.  The first months of the year are a time for privileges and leadership. Seniors enjoy leaving the campus for lunch and parking in a special designated area. These simple pleasures add to the fulfillment of a person’s last year of high school.

The period of time between Christmas Break until Spring Break, which usually ends in April, can also be called the most critical time of the year for a senior. They are plagued with numerous college and scholarship applications. Deadlines are met down to the wire and the students are rushed to complete their schoolwork as well. The novelty of being a senior begins to wear off and the upperclassmen get into a monotonous routine that ceases to end. Classes seem to drone on and to prevent losing interest in school, students keep their minds focused on the upcoming break.

The final stage and most exciting time of a person’s senior year is the last months up to graduation. These final days are filled with anticipation and anxieties. The upcoming festivities include Senior Prom and Grad Night at Walt Disney World. However, these festivities can also lead to feelings of sadness and loneliness. This is when a senior realizes that all of the people he or she has known, the teachers who have shared on his or her life, and the routine of going to school everyday of the week is going to change. The implications of graduation seem endless and harsh. To a person, losing all the things that are familiar, can be scary and can seem to be the end of a chapter in a student’s life.  

A senior might be absorbed with grief, that he or she never realizes how exciting the upcoming chapter in his or her life will be.

In conclusion, the final year of high school can be an emotional rollercoaster for any student. This is one of the most important times in a student’s life. The decisions that a student makes during the last year of high school, will affect him or her for the rest of his or her life. Students must choose their destiny and set their long-term goals. The decisions made now can only be based on what has been learned and experienced thus far.  

Although a person’s senior year is often a time of stress and changes, a person who focuses on exciting times and continually strives for success now and in the future, will enjoy a rewarding and memorable senior year.