This year, I learned to take life a little less seriously. Outwardly, I think I come off as an unserious person because of my sense of humor, but I do struggle a lot with anxiety and stress, especially when it comes to school. My friends and I have talked a lot about the false sense of security AP Lang gave us because it was so easy compared to AP Lit (big thank you to Mr. Williams for that).
Even when I was writing my college essays, my dad would always grill me because my work read like a college dissertation. My voice, instead of showcasing my own personality, showcased the personality of an aging, tenured physics professor.
Last year, I saw my senior friends in AP Lit writing their blogs and always thought to myself it sounded more like a burden than an assignment. Yet, they became a highlight of the class for me. I started to write casually, inserting humor and my personal writing style into my posts, and it seemed like people enjoyed them! I started off with a theme of architecture, which is what I want to study in college. However, as my blog posts started crossing the 1000 word threshold, I realized I should take a break from the research-oriented stuff and stick to what I know best: making a fool of myself for other people’s entertainment (this is an exaggeration but not really). At that point, we only had two blog posts left, but I decided to explore topics that would have been better off left unexplored: Tom Cruise and Shrek 2. Thankfully, I achieved my goal of making people laugh, and it honestly taught me to take life less seriously. There is always room for little pleasures, and it is better to make something you and other people get joy from rather than making a “perfect” product.
If there was one thing I could tell incoming seniors, it would be do not take multivariable calculus or AP Physics 2. I did not take the former, and unlike most of the other decisions I’ve made in life, I really don’t regret it! I did, however, take the latter, and regretted it every single day. Also, let yourself live a little! People say junior year is the most stressful, but senior year comes with the stress of college applications, holding out till spring break when you can let senioritis take over, and of course the looming demon that is student debt.
If you spend every minute of your life filling out the Common App or tweaking your personal essay, I promise you the results aren’t going to be what you expect – Harvard’s admission rate is 5%. I’m not saying to set your expectations low, because you should always aim high for yourself and try to reach your potential, but don’t let college take over your life. Have a few safety schools that you are guaranteed to get into, because it will give you serious peace of mind to know that you have something you can fall back on. 
I realize that no juniors will be reading this, but I’ll say it for myself and everyone. Don’t let other people dictate the rest of your life. I was at a party earlier this year and after I left the room to get food, the rest of the people there asked my mom if I was going to do engineering or pre-med. When she said “neither”, I swear I heard a collective gasp. It was frustrating in the moment, but funny later when I realized that nothing they say has an impact on me – they are the NPCs of my life.
In general, and especially during college application season, people like to insert every little opinion into your life, whether it is a word you change in a supplemental or what you are going to major in. In the end, it’s your life, so take it into your own hands and hold on tight.
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