- I’ve gone through 4 bookbags in 3 completed years of high school. That says something, I think - I just don’t know what.
- Starting senior year is less scary than starting Freshman year, for a million reasons. It’s also scary as hell, because where did 3 years go?
- I’ve never once used notebook dividers. Actually, I have, but just when a teacher is glaring at me for not using them.
- What’s better - summer boredom, or schooltime stress?
- I’m going to be in school from 6:55 AM to at bare minimum, 2:30, 5 days a week. Once clubs (string quartet, stage crew, GSA, science club, Spanish club, newspaper, lit mag, creative writing group), I’ll be lucky to get out of school by 4:30. That’s too many hours per week.
- Amazingly, I’m psyched up for that to start.
- I’ve yet to complete the actual assigned summer homework. Any of it. Done lots of extra stuff, read tons, etc, haven’t done any of the real stuff.
- I have not, since seventh grade, actually completed all of my summer reading, and I’m not going to break a streak like that now.
- Really hoping that the locker room in the main gym doesn’t smell like gasoline this year.
- Maybe they finally killed off all the mice this summer. If not, they’re gonna become our mascot.
- They fired/reassigned to another school half of the english department. Seriously.
- There’s no point to this list. I’m bored and did too many pushups tonight at TKD.
Best of luck to you!
take lots of pictures
you only take this trip once !
As you get older, time goes faster. Get used to it.
Again, get used to it. If you only work 40 nominal hours a week in a non-managerial position the 7-4:30 will be de rigeur. Get into management and 50+ hours/week will be the norm.
Enjoy this time. Realize that, in spite of how it feels, you have no big stress or burdens on you. Devote that minimum of effort that gets you where you want to go.
Oh yeah. I almost forgot: Dress funny.
Me too, except I’ll be there from 6:15 to 2:30. I tried to modify my schedule so I’d be there till 1:30, but my counselor is ignoring me. sigh
Good luck with your senior year. I’m starting mine, too.
6:55 am to 4:30 pm is not too much different than a normal adult work day. Oh sure, maybe its 8 to 5 or 5:30 instead but seriously; get comfy with it, because it’s that way until you retire.
Best wishes on your senior year.
I have to disagree. For many people, high school education is the last time in their life when they will be offered something of value for free. The best thing is to take as much of it as possible. Don’t settle for doing the least you need to; push yourself and do the most you can. (Although judging from the list of clubs in the OP, NinjaChick is already doing so.)
As of now, stress. In a month, boredom.
I would stronly suggest you break that streak. You may well end up with a psycho teacher and/or an overlarge class, and summer reading is usually overemphasized in these scenarios. Of course this advice is pointless, because if you’ve already made up your mind not to do something, than random admonishments won’t help. Can’t you read up 'till “Iif you liked this book, try these other completely random books we also publish,”?
It’s funny how in August, I can’t wait for school to start, but after the first week of school, I can’t wait for the last.
I too am going into my senior year. One more year, then I am free from the education system.
Good luck with senior year, all of you. You’ll get thoroughly sick of hearing this by September, but it’s still true: it goes by really fast. Take advantage of any really spiffy opportunities that pop up.
And don’t procrastinate on the college applications like I did. You miss out on the really good scholarships that way.
Enjoy your senior year, it only happens once. I hope you will be able to look fondly on it years from now.
Be nice. Play well with others.
Get college ap stuff done ASAP. Seriously. You will not believe the stress relief it is to know that your apps are done.
Jeez, how about a little sympathy? NinjaChick is right about at that point when time goes faster, like you say (so am I). The time is slipping away, and it feels like you’re just not experiencing life like you were when you were younger. It’s a little scary, and there’s no need for you to be vicious about it.
It sounds to me like you’re a little bitter.
This here shows that you really, really don’t understand/remember what high school is like. I realize that I have little/few big stress or burdens on me in school. I don’t try especially hard. But I know that many, many high schoolers try very hard. I know that it can be incredibly stressful. I’ve heard some people say that work is easier and less stressful than school. The difference between a B-student (like me) and an A-student (possibly like NinjaChick) is a massive amount of effort.
Hello class of '04! Good luck on this year - be warned, it will go by obscenely fast. The summer after graduation will go by even faster. (I leave for college in two days! How did that happen?)
Be ready for a serious case of senioritis to set in around finals first semester and for symptoms to worsen around spring break.
Don’t give in to it too much - but, if you are taking AP classes, relish the time to slack off after the exams and do try to convince your teacher to let you sneak off campus a couple of times.
Oh, and actually use your locker. I didn’t - I used my backpack and my car. a 35lb. bag isn’t good for your back, and the backseat of my car was not a very accessible filing system.
Send it college and scholarship applications early! If you don’t know where you’re going to go to college, don’t worry too much (but still send in your applications for the places high on your list). I decided around 10pm on March 20th, and only because I had a March 21st deadline to accept or decline the package one of my top two schools offered. A friend of mine just decided last month (though that won’t work for most places, she changed her mind and went to a very small private school that was glad to take her last minute).
When you decide, don’t just follow the money. If there’s a big gap, it might tell you how much a school wants you in comparison, but try to ignore the numbers while you are deciding where you want to live and learn for the next few years!
Have an awesome senior year, spend lots of time with your family and close friends, and don’t forget to do something to unwind every now and then!
Whoa, replies! I feel all cool and stuff.
MonkeyMensch and AbbySthrnAccent: I know that the average workday is about that long. The average worker doesn’t then come home to 4+ hours more of studying/homework, though, do they? Just a li’l point.
College: Eh, deadlines. I’m taking (at least) a year off, so I’m not planning on stressing if I miss deadlines. There’s always next year. 
So then you don’t plan to be a teacher?
Holy crap. And I thought my little sister did a lot of extracurricular stuff! My non-school related activities consist of: private guitar lessons once a week. And driving my little sister to martial arts, dance, drama, and horseriding-related events. That’s about it. I’m so lazy. At least I have a fairly high GPA. (Though not during the summer… I did absolute jack this summer. I didn’t even get a job.)
You still might want to keep up on it. It’s easier to get accepted and defer for a year than to try to track down all your references a year from now.
Good luck with your senior year!
Sometimes, yeah 
It’s not too common, but I can’t say I haven’t had to do it and I’m only 3 years out of college.
And I realize it’s a little early, but it couldn’t hurt to learn from this thread.
Never mind getting the class ring/jacket/pendant/secret amulet. Nobody wears that stuff past graduation.