Being a second semester senior, what a concept. It’s a flawless time period full of cupcakes and rainbows. Everyone is happily skipping through the halls to the beat of their own drum, merrily awaiting summertime. Right? Wrong.
We have all dreamed of the day we get to be second semester seniors since we saw Grease for the first time. But once you trudge through the first notorious seven semesters, you will soon realize it is not the happy go lucky party you were invited to.

So what takes away from the highlife of being a second semester senior?

First things first, college. Students spend the majority of their junior year and all of their senior year doing research, taking standardized tests, and listening to the dreaded six worded question over and over again: “Where are you going to college?” It’s cute and fun at first, but it really gets old quick.

Students spend months upon months with a constant fear of making the wrong decision and letting people down. There is guidance given by the school on how to deal with this stress, but often times that just makes things all the more worse. So in reality, when it comes to surviving during a time like this, the best thing you can do is look to the light at the end of the tunnel.

Although there is no way to get rid of this stress, remind yourself this horrible strain will not last forever and everything happens for a reason. Hopefully by May 1st you will be satisfied with your decision, but if not, you can always transfer.

Just two short weeks after decision day is prom. Just when you think the stress is gone, it comes back and hits you like a truck. Although prom is usually in the back of people’s minds their whole adolescent life, and people start to verbalize it starting as early as January, the stress does not hit its peak until weeks before.

When asked her thoughts on prom, Senior Emily Cowen says, “It is absolutely not worth all of the planning and fighting. It’s just one night and all the stress can ruin friendships which is heartbreaking when you look at the big picture.”

While in the midst of all the prom drama (aka Prama), the best thing you can do is have frequent reality checks with yourself. Take a deep breath and remember it is idiotic to spend months upon months planning and stressing for something that is one weekend out of your entire life.

If you do happen to let the prama take over your life, like I did, you will be full of regret when you realize how much time you wasted. You may come to a realization that you could have gotten a better sleep most nights, you could have been enjoying all the other weekends of senior year instead of focusing on one that hasn’t even happened yet, or finally, you could have gotten all your grades above a 90 so you wouldn’t have to take any finals.

Although prom is very important and something you will remember in the future, do not let it affect your mental health or any relationships you may have. My mom, as she is watching me experience the stress of prom says, “don’t ruin a good thing for a good time because once the good time is over the good thing will be gone.”

Friends will always be more important than any type of event, so don’t ruin your relationships over a silly weekend.

Although second semester does come with obstacles, it is important to make the most of it. Senior Nick Clingan says, “besides sometimes being stressed over college and other things, senior year has allowed me to make some of the best memories I’ve ever had.”

So try to enjoy your time in high school, because graduation will be here in the blink of an eye.