It’s that time of year again for Walnut Hills High School seniors, where stress is high and the number of cups of coffee are even higher. From the harsh glow of a computer screen at 12:00 A.M. to the numerous bottles of painkillers for a headache, that’s right, it’s college application season.

   It isn’t uncommon to see a senior going through their college application journey, frantically trying to finish essays and rambling about how they need a meeting with their counselors, or seeing the aftermath of a late night by a senior who stayed up all night trying to submit applications last minute.

    Seniors everywhere are trying to keep their sanity, while it lasts.The long list of things to be done before the end of the school year seems never ending.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid deadlines commenced on Oct 1. For some, early action deadlines for college applications were Nov. 1, but for most, their early action deadline was Dec. 1, and the stress is still steadily rising.

SENIOR Aaryn Stephens, having just finished her last season as a member of the Marching Band, is currently experiencing the pressure of senior year. “Plan ahead because when you get into senior year, you think it’s all fun and games, but it’s not,” said Stephens when asked about giving any tips to current juniors. Along with college application due dates, senior year also comes with struggling to keep up with grades, not to mention all the extracurriculars many WHHS Seniors partake in, including after school jobs.

    Although the college application process can be tiresome, with aid from teachers and counselors, seniors always pull through and find a way to make it work. “It’s stressful, yet achievable,” SENIOR Cheyenne Corbin said, who works and volunteers. Watching the seniors continue to stress and complain, this year’s juniors are getting a glimpse of what they are in for next year. Preparing for the college application process means narrowing down schools and preparing college essays. Many juniors who haven’t taken the ACT are hard at work preparing for the one coming up in April. But for others, finishing out this semester in the next few weeks with good grades is the only thing on their radar at the moment. That seemed to be the case for Marley McCann, ‘18, who, when asked if has has done anything to prepare for next year, said “I haven’t done much to prepare other than trying to improve my GPA as much as I can.” He also left a small piece of advice for current seniors. “Best of luck and follow your dreams” are the encouraging words McCann gave for the soon-to-be graduates.

    Even when applications are submitted, recommendation letters are written, and interviews are scheduled, nothing is actually done or set in stone yet. In these coming months, there will be various things floating around the school so don’t be too surprised. There will be echos about the reminders from counselors who constantly tell seniors when the end is near, not to slack and to keep pushing. And from the seniors are the usual grumbled complaints of, “Can’t I just graduate already” and “Don’t they know how stressed out we are?”

     Over the course of the rest of the year, students will see seniors exclaiming about hearing back from their choice colleges or complaining about the amount of work they have to complete. But In the end, you’ll smile along with them when you see the tears of joy in their eyes after exams as they get ready to leave behind Walnut for some place new.