The 2025-2026 school year is coming to a close, and the junior class is now looking to take their next step towards the future. With the upcoming school year, the class of 2026 is becoming seniors, looking for scholarships, touring schools, asking for letters of recommendation and applying to colleges. Our class is preparing for the next chapter and with that, comes an immense amount of stress.

If junior year wasn’t stressful enough, now is the time to focus more than ever and really think about where you want to go and what you want to do in life. I’ve been thinking about college and what I want to do since before eighth grade, and I notice that every time I think about it, my plans and ideas change. It’s so stressful to think about what’s next when everyone tells you to “Live in the moment.” It’s just crazy for me to think that I’m only 17 and I have to think about moving away from home.

Within this past year, I’ve already toured eight different schools. I’ve found some I’ve liked and some I haven’t as much, but with touring so many schools comes finding what you want in a college. College searching and touring makes me so nervous because I’m worried about not feeling like any college is the one for me and that I won’t belong. And the one college that I’ve fallen in love with, is the one that doesn’t have the programs I’m looking for. No upperclassman in the past could’ve prepared me for the amount of nerves going through my head when even just thinking about college. What do you mean I need to apply by the end of this summer and need to commit by May 1 of next year? This is insane.

Not only is there the college you need to think about, but also what you actually want to do in life. There’s so many questions to consider and ask yourself when determining what career you want to have. Will I love this job? Will it feel like work? Will it make me happy? Will it make me enough money to thrive with? There’s SO. MANY. OPTIONS. What I wish the class of 2026 had access to was a career path fair where there were all the different careers and people to talk about each one. What would also be helpful is once you do know what you want to do, there is a resource to tell you what college major to choose and other pieces of advice to take to best get yourself into the position that you want. There’s so many options from careers to college majors, that it can get so overwhelming to look at each one and think “What can I even do with a degree in this?”

Let’s not even think about the actual education for a second. Let’s instead think about how crazy it is that for 18 years, you live with the same people in the same house and as soon as you walk across that stage, you know where you’ll be calling your home for the next semester and it won’t be with those people.

With the junior class slowly getting closer to becoming seniors, we now have to think about our class schedule. For me, I’m just trying to get through with the least amount of classes I can take. I just need one English credit and that’s it, so having to take at least four other classes is kind of disappointing. I’m also already not dreading senior year, but am ready to be done with high school. Three years is enough, so having to come back for one more year is a no from me. Senioritis is definitely coming after me and once it does, I’m checked out.

I’ve made some good memories from high school, but am excited to move on into the next chapter of my life. A thought to keep in mind: You are never alone and your path is unique to you, so never compare yourself to someone else, and take your time when making the final decision. Life is never going to be easy or without stress, but making the most of the time you have left in your current chapter is the most important thing. I know the future can be scary, but living is the greatest gift there is. If waking up each day is worth more than 10 million dollars, then make senior year and college planning the most exciting thing you do.