One Year, Endless Pressure
A student reflects on the pressures of her final year of high school.
Download our Therapy 101: Decoding Types of Therapists guide here.
When I think about senior year, I mainly focus on the exciting events that my friends and I are bound to experience. For example, events such as senior sunrise, prom, and graduation are so anticipated that they make me forget the pressure I feel to accomplish before I can actually experience any of those important milestones.
One of the first and most important milestones of senior year is drafting and finishing my college essay. It is something that causes so many people, including me, to feel pressure and stress because we do not know what to write about, what is “good” enough, or what is appropriate. With what feels like restrictions, it’s hard to think about a topic that I feel confident about. The pressure of deadlines and stress of what to write distracts me from exciting events, making me not want to participate in any of them.
Something similar to this would be researching which college I want and making the final choice of where I’m gonna spend my four years, considering that I’m not the type to transfer. This causes me anxiety because what if I don’t end up liking it or feel like I don't fit in? These are just a few of the things that have stressed me out this year. I also feel pressure from trying to get good grades, keep my GPA up, spend time with friends, and take care of my responsibilities at home.
What I think about most these days is scholarships. Some people might assume it’s all the work or the college essay that worries me, but for me, it’s really about the scholarship. I want to show that all my hard work means something. I also hope to help my parents and myself by getting into a good college with a strong scholarship. As well as the college acceptances, I am scared of not being accepted, feeling disappointed, and thinking I didn’t work as hard as I could have.
As senior year approaches, I expect to face challenges and make difficult decisions, which does sound a little bit scary, but I am very excited about all the fun parts and events of senior year.
To learn more about therapy, ask questions, or find the support that's right for you, start here.