As the underclassman began to walk down the hallway, a terrifying figure caught his eye and he suddenly froze. A senior had just turned the corner and was coming his way. The underclassman hastily moved to walk on the other side of the hallway. You need to be careful around seniors; these days you never know what will set them off.
While we seniors may seem to be constantly on edge, there is no need to walk on eggshells around us. There are just a few simple rules to follow and things to avoid in order to keep everyone happy.
Of course, during this time of year college applications are the primary source for senior stress and general crankiness. This is a topic you should avoid. Do not ask questions such as “where are you applying?” or “what school is your top choice?”
If you ask seniors where they are applying, this only reminds them of their long to-do list regarding those applications. They have also most likely answered this question countless times and hate hearing the list of schools coming out of their mouth. Another issue with this question is that the senior in question may not have a definitive list yet. By asking them where they are applying, you are only reminding them that they do not know yet, thus, ensuring that the conversation will head south.
Something to keep in mind is that many seniors do not have a top choice school. Sure, there are the few who have known where they want to go their whole life, but for the rest of us, this is not something we want to be asked. It may make the senior feel as though they should have a top choice, and that they are slacking because they don’t.
Another bad idea is asking the senior what they want to major in. Again, there is that small group that has had a dream job and major in mind for a while, but many are still undecided.
Most of us seniors are just trying to get into college, period, and then take it from there. Putting a senior on the spot like this is like asking them what they want to do with the rest of their life, and most of us do not know that yet.
You would be wise to avoid would be test scores. This applies for students of all grade levels, not just upperclassmen. Sure, you may have gotten a phenomenal score on the SAT or the ACT, but some kids didn’t and it makes them feel bad if you brag about it. Other seniors do not want to hear about your scores because it enforces the never-ending North Arlington classmate comparison. Overall, it is just another stress inducer and makes people compare themselves to others, which is never a good feeling.
So underclassmen, no reason to run the other way or avoid eye contact. We understand that it may seem relevant to ask us these questions. Remember that there are plenty of other interesting things to ask us about, like school-related activities and extracurriculars we may be involved in. Just keep in mind that there is still a significant amount of work that goes into senior year. Until those early and regular college application deadlines roll around, most seniors are bound to be on edge. College will be a touchy subject during those months. Follow these guidelines and take this advice. You should be able to avoid causing anyone any extra stress and not push anyone’s buttons, which will help everyone get along better in the coming months.
