Every student has their own idea of how their high school career would be like. What the student wants in their academic career will determine the path they take in high school. If students hope to pursue athletics, this can be a deciding factor as well. Every student has a different path they take to prepare themselves for life after high school.
“I have always gotten good grades,” senior Mary Haiss said. “I am taking some college classes, and I have taken some honors and IB/AP classes.”
Many students expect high school to be like middle school, however it is much different. As a freshman coming in there aren’t many options on what classes to take. Freshmen look at upperclassmen and one day wish to be them as they think they have no worry. However, seniors have more to worry about than freshmen think.
“As a freshman,” Haiss said,” I expected senior year to be crazy and it would feel like we were the oldest in the school.”
As freshmen students take core classes like math, science, literature etc…, seniors have only two required classes—literature and math. Seniors have the options of taking college classes, AP/IB, work based learning classes and many more.
“As seniors, high school doesn’t really feel any different than it did before,” Haiss said.
As freshmen, many students don’t have a thought about applying to colleges or for scholarship applications. However, seniors have many worries about college applications and what scholarships they are eligible to apply for.
“As seniors there are a lot of counseling meetings, as well as all the applications and scholarships for college,”
If students take the athletic route they may be surprised how much different things can change in four years. If a student-athlete hopes to continue their career in college, their freshman year possibly consists of getting better at their sport and focusing on doing well in school to start off their high school career. However, when they get into their senior year they will either already be committed or they may still be looking for a future home.
“My grades were very important because colleges don’t just look for a good athlete they look for good students too,” senior Randie Foor said. “The recruiting process was stressful but well worth it. I committed to Notre Dame (ND) in March of 2023. ND has top tier academics and athletics.”
Overall, students change between freshman and senior year. Each student has a different path depending on their personal goals.
