My to-do list has exponentially increased this year, and the weight on my shoulders feels like it continues to get heavier. Why do I feel this constant pressure on me? One word: College.

Going into my senior year, I had high expectations for how my last year in school would go. Being an upperclassman, having seniority and, obviously, only having one year left gave me a positive attitude for the year. But, sadly, I was wrong about how senior year would really go.

I forgot about how stressful it would be to think about my future. I forgot how stressful it would be to write college admission essays or to just decide which colleges to even apply to. Pairing this preparation and other activities in my life does not make it much easier, either. Homework every day, at least an hour and a half of it, doesn’t allow much time for me to think about my future. Don’t forget to add in having a job and working four times a week.

And what about a social life? I feel like it’s impossible for me to have one this year.

But, being a senior is kind of introducing us to reality. We are forced to think about our actions and how our decisions will affect everything we do in the next four years. We’ve realized that life is busy, no matter how much you hate it.

Senior year is stressful, the most stressful year in high school, in my opinion. As much as I wish it wasn’t, it has to be. We have to be willing to take responsibility for everything in our lives.

Underclassman, enjoy your time because before you know it, senior year will come and you’ll be more stressed than you ever have been, but in a good way.