Senior year has been so hard. Everyone older than me always said that junior year was the most difficult year of high school and that the workload simply didn’t compare to any other year because it was just that awful. I was under the impression from the age of 14 that senior year would be a joke, the punchline to what was a nightmare of a junior year. I was very wrong.

This year has been filled with anxiety, stress, and a loss of motivation like I’ve never felt before. I walked into senior year completely unprepared for what was to come, and now, a semester in, there are a couple of things I wish I’d known when I started:

1. Senioritis isn’t a myth. It hits some people immediately, and it may last for weeks—or even months—at a time. It affects everyone to varying degrees, but it affects them nonetheless. I was a homework machine all of junior year, but this year has dragged to the point of taking excessive naps to avoid even looking at the work left in my bag. After college apps are done, it’s hard to see a point to doing all the homework.
2. There is still a point to doing your homework. A lot of colleges ask for your mid-year and final-year reports, and they can retract your acceptances if you bomb the last half of senior year. Once you finish applications, you still need to pass your classes (even if you do take breaks pretty much every day).
3. Do NOT wait until the last minute to submit your college applications. I got my Common Application and essays done all at once in November, but even after they had been submitted, my colleges tacked on other things that needed to be done, and I hadn’t even considered them until the application was done. The College Board (which is a scam, do not let anyone tell you otherwise) attaches an extra $30 fee to “rush ship” your SAT scores—electronically.
4. Talk to your counselors and teacher recommenders early. Like, way early. Leaving your transcript and letter requests until the last minute will irritate your teachers and can possibly leave you stranded without all the things you need.
5. YOUR COLLEGE APPLICATIONS COST MONEY. A lot of money. Like, a ridiculous amount of money. I paid over $600 for my applications, and I only applied to 8 schools (some of which I may not get into). Some kids will pay upwards of $1,000, and sometimes you don’t qualify for the fee waivers you think you do. Make sure to ask for waivers early if you apply, because you can’t have the fees waived after you send in the applications.
6. That fear about leaving high school goes away pretty quickly after the first half of the year is over. Sometimes, your body just knows it’s time to grow up and get out of the high school bubble and that’s okay.
7. You’re about to be an adult for the first time in your life, and people who are toxic to you don’t need to stay in your life. Don’t waste your last year keeping track of unhealthy relationships, it’s never worth it.
8. No one is paying as much attention to you as you think they are. Stop worrying.
9. Not knowing what you’re doing with your life yet is okay. Everything will come with time, and making a big deal out of it now won’t help you figure it out any sooner. It all works out eventually.
10. Stay calm. It’s not that bad (yet).