High school is a special place for any student. From the dreary hours of class to the excitement of a Friday night football game; the friendships and drama; the intimidating first weeks to that moment of clarity that most call growing up. For one group of students; however, high school has a much different effect.
Every year, the senior class of any school goes through the same process of maturity and trying to accomplish the vastly intimidating feat of getting in to college; while at the same time, dealing with the condition many have come to know as senioritis. This is no different for Sierra High School senior, Josh Hood.
Like every other senior across the country, Hood is nearing the end of his high school career and preparing for the next step. For Hood, this next step is college.
The Graduation rate for the 08-09 school year was 75.4% according to the New York Times. 70.1% of these students were enrolled in a college or university according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
When reflecting on his thoughts about college, Hood concluded that it was almost always necessary for success.
“In today’s world,” Hood says, ”In order to have a good paying job that keeps you out of a lot of the issues that people are in today, college is necessary “
To many, it would seem that the most intimidating part about college is not getting in, but rather, paying for it. Hood says that the financial side of college is the most challenging.
“(I don’t think) going to college is intimidating, It’s being able to pay for college that’s intimidating.” Hood says.
The average cost for a public, 4-year college is $7,020 per year in tuition and fees for in-state students; $11,528 per year for out-of-state students according to Collegeboard.com.
When faced with the challenge of getting in to and paying for college, it would seem that most seniors don’t have time to take it easy; however, that is exactly what most seniors do. This is the state known to many seniors as senioritis.
Senioritis, described by Collegeboard.com as taking it easy during one’s senior year is Identifiable by excessive laziness, skipping class, and lack of motivation. This state of mind can have devastating effects as said by College Board.
On average, 69% of revoked admissions from colleges were due to low final grades in the 2009 admission season according to USA Today.
Many seniors develop senioritis because of the sense of completion with high school and the eagerness to move on. Seniors might even believe that they deserve to be a little lazy, because they have come so far. This ideology is not shared among all seniors.
“We’re just going to another part of life,” Says Hood, “Eighth-graders don’t deserve to get ‘Eighth-eritis’...We’re just moving on to another chapter. “
Regardless of how it is viewed, senior year is a special time for students. It has many different effects on seniors, from anxiety to excessive laziness. The ever-looming and quickly-approaching idea of graduating is the essence of being a senior. No matter what the next chapter is for students, being a senior marks the end of this one.
No comments:
Post a Comment