Being a senior poses many questions for a student. Should I go to college? Where am I going to go? Will I make new friends? What will I do after college? But you are not the only one asking questions. Constant interrogation from those around you is also confusing. “What do you want to be when you grow up? Do you have a job? What are you going to major in?” Some people are lucky and have known what they want and who they are going to be since they were four years old. But most are not so lucky.

I myself have no idea what I want in my life. I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up. I don’t know anything at all. I’ve found that this is the case for most people my age, but that doesn’t make it any easier. Every year up until now, I knew what my outlook was for the year after. This year everything changes. This year, I don’t know what’s going to happen. And that’s scary. As exciting as it is, it is also terrifying. Being unsure of your future and what you want for the rest of your life, tends to stress you out.

Being a senior is always seen as being fun and freeing and the beginning of a new chapter in one’s life. You’re an adult now. You can spend more time with your friends because it is your last year with them. You take easy classes because you only need a few more classes to graduate. You know all of the teachers in school so you get away with everything. And you can walk around and say “I’m a Senior.” It all seems like fun and it can be. But it’s one year. It’s here, but it will be gone before you know it. And there is so much more to being a senior than most people think.

Where am I going to college? Do I want to stay close to home or go out of state on my own? College is a huge weight on the shoulders of most seniors. Applications and essays and decisions on where to go in the first place can be exhausting. I sit in my classes this year and listen to all of my classmates ask each other about where they’ve applied and if they’ve heard anything back. What’s your top choice? Where have you visited? For me, this part has actually been easy. I found my dream college long ago in Florida. But being so far from home poses its own questions and worries.

Galway is comfortable and it’s everything I know. The rest of the world is unknown to me. I’ve always loved Florida and it’s where my grandma lives and it’s going to be great, but very different. It’s still not home and it will take a lot of adjusting. It’s a whole new atmosphere and very different from the world of high school. I’ll miss my family and my friends and just the comfort of all the faces I’ve seen every day for the past four years of my life. Change is hard. It’s scary. For me anyway.

What will I do after college? Where will I go? Who will I be? Some wonder if they can do it. Can I go out in the world on my own? Am I ready? It’s freeing becoming an adult. You can go where you want and do what you want, but it’s also scary. You have to pay for yourself and take care of yourself and make your own decisions. And that’s the biggest part. What if I make the wrong decision?
Being a senior seems glorious when you’re an underclassman. Freedom and fun and college is an exciting thing. But it’s scary. It’s the first time any of us have had to really think of what we want in our lives. Some of us are still unsure. The best thing we can do is enjoy now and worry later, but remember that every decision is made for a reason and everything you do is for you. My advice is to just go along for the ride. I know a lot of my fellow seniors are going to stress out and worry like me, but I think all we can really do is live in the moment. There will be times when we are lost and times when we are scared. But there will also be times filled with happiness and freedom and adventure that the beginning of your life will bring.

This is the beginning, not the end. It’s what you want. And if you don’t know what you want, then go and find it. Go and find who you are. Start at the beginning with an open mind and an open heart. Go out there and start living your life.