Xatal

So you’ve finally made it to your senior year, and you’re a bit curious about how it will be different. I remember before my senior year I used to wonder how much it would be like the rest of the years.

More respect from teachers.

While every teacher is different, in general most teachers who always have seniors in their classes are more lax than teachers who have younger students. This is because seniors are usually more mature and able to handle more responsibilities.

If you have a more lax teacher, you’ll likely have looser classroom rules. Maybe you can eat in class now. Maybe it’s okay if you’re late every once in a while. You can use the bathroom when you need to. Generally, as long as you aren’t causing a problem, you’ll be given more freedoms. A lot of these teachers are the excellent choices to ask for a letter of recommendation from.

Of course, this does vary from teacher to teacher. Some teachers remain strict no matter what grade level they have. Don’t push the limit too far if you’re unsure.

More respect from other staff

If you’ve talked at least occasionally to other staff members — security, librarians, principals, etc., you can look forward to a similar attitude from them as well. You’re not young anymore, and no longer do these people have as much of a need to babysit you as they did before. If you’re doing something that’s slightly against the rules (like being out of class without a pass, etc), then it shouldn’t be as big of a deal as before.

More respect from other students

Your fellow classmen won’t really treat you any different than they have the last three years, but for the first time, all of the other grades are below you. Your class is the top of the student body, and with that you can look forward to being respected more.

Hazing isn’t cool and never has been, but if you were hazed occasionally by students in a higher grade, you no longer have to worry about that. You can also “look forward” to more younger students asking you out. While flattering, being told that “you’re cute!” can get old very fast.

College/Scholarship information

Get ready to have a lot of college and scholarship information thrown at you earlier than you would like. My old high school had college presentations as early as September, which really caught me off guard. I was looking forward to putting that stuff off until later, but it hit me far sooner than I thought. With a bit of luck, you’ve started filling out scholarship applications and researching colleges so that this won’t be as much of a shock to you as it was to me.

Senior activities!

In addition to college and scholarship information, you’re also going to have many ‘senior ____’ things thrown at you, especially at the end of the year. Senior trip, senior pictures, senior graduation practice, senior fundraiser, etc. Every school has different things. I recommend making the most of each opportunity. You only get to do this once.

Anxiety

Oh yes. It’s weird: most people look forward to school being over, but as it gets close it becomes hard to say goodbye. Don’t worry, this is normal, but it is still tough. This is your last year of mandatory education, and after this you’re on your own in a lot of ways. As it begins to sink in, be ready to feel a bit sad and anxious. You can lessen these feelings by trying to buddy up with more people, as I’ve said before.

As a whole, senior year is very fun and by far the best of your four years. The freedoms and opportunities you have here can be a good way to start preparing for the real world, and the friendships you can forge now can last a lifetime, so make the most of it!

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