Senior Moments: The myth of the carefree senior year

Senior year is here.

For the class of 2010, ruling the school and setting the standard of cool is now in our hands. Unfortunately for our stress levels, so are college applications, ACT scores and a seemingly endless number of essays. The supposed image of a carefree senior year has been masked by the deluge of college mail piled up on my coffee table, essay prompts mocking me as blank sheets of paper stare at my face and deadlines I'm never good at keeping straight.

I'm Mia Pohlman, a senior at Perryville High School. I'm in our school band (go saxophones!), choir and plays. I love writing, cookie dough ice cream, Converse All-Stars and laughing. In the fall of 2010 I will be attending the University of Undecided. Until then, I will be documenting the fun, stressful and exciting moments of senior year and sharing them with you.

I never expected senior year to feel like such a transition year. This is the year everyone spends the prior three years in high school looking forward to, and now that we're here, we're being forced to look ahead at college. It seems like we never let ourselves just live and be. There' are so many questions to answer, so many "Decisions That Will Change Your Life" to make. And life never teaches about itself ahead of time -- you have to learn as you go along.

My classmates are feeling the pressure, too. A discussion about the "C" word in class the other day sent one of my friends into the hallway ready to pummel anything within sight. Her locker door sufficed. And it doesn't help that the only conversation it seems like I can have with someone older than 20 these days is about where I'm going to college, which, when replied to with a disappointing "I don't know," the advice is always, "you'll figure it out." I know that's true, I'm just wondering when I'll acquire this much-talked-about sixth sense.

On one hand, I'm just trying to be 17, hang out with friends, plan homecoming, practice it up at marching band and play rehearsals and make awesome, fun memories of the perfect senior year. I'm just trying to embrace life and realize every second that's passing, because I know I'll never get this back. I know because I've been informed of this numerous times by reminiscing employers, counselors, teachers, and parents.

On the other hand, I'm definitely feeling the pressure to get my future figured out. Or, at least, to set tentative plans. It's hard to live in the moment when I'm being forced to think about the future. But maybe all of this and embracing the stress goes along with living in the moment. Maybe I have to learn to live up the scary, stressful moments, too, embracing it as part of my once-in-a-lifetime experience of senior year.