Home » Supplement » Education
The summer before senior year
By Clarissa Tan |
August 29, 2012, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
JANUARY, February, March, April, May, June. The months leading up to summer holidays are often filled with high school students looking forward to the long-awaited, wonderful, òmuch too shortó summer holidays. The image of yourself; sitting in the sun without a care in the world and without the thought of daunting assignments due the next day or exams that are rapidly approaching, is simply bliss.
However being in high school, this is just too good to be true. Summer assignments, extended essays, CAS activities are our reward for our yearlong perseverance in tests, homework and exams. To add, we are faced with the problem of what to do to fill 42 precious days of summer in the most productive and impressive way to bolster our college application.
So we plan our summer holidays with anxiety about not getting work done and anticipation of having an actual holiday. The planning begins with deciding between summer courses, internships, summer jobs and/or visiting colleges.
This all can be really stressful especially if one is unsure of what one plans to pursue in the future. The stress continues to build as the summer approaches and more of your peers have already figured out their summer plans and you are still left with none. Frantic, you start to worry about how this may reflect on your applications. Perhaps, this may be a good thing and you decide to focus on your assignments.
In the first week of summer, you think: òI have worked so hard throughout the year, taking a week for myself to relax and have fun. It sounds innocent enough.ó Lulling you into a false trap, this thought latches on. And taking internships, jobs and summer courses just somehow manages to give you more of an excuse to prolong the inevitability of doing work. Before you know it or realize it, summer has passed right before your eyes and anxiety and panic sets in as you realize how little work you have done on summer assignments and college applications. Therefore, the last week of summer would consist of us rushing and staying up late to get as much done as possible.
The first day of school arrives and despite the excitement to see your friends again; the pressure of senior year dawns upon you. Welcome to senior year, class of 2012/2013.
However being in high school, this is just too good to be true. Summer assignments, extended essays, CAS activities are our reward for our yearlong perseverance in tests, homework and exams. To add, we are faced with the problem of what to do to fill 42 precious days of summer in the most productive and impressive way to bolster our college application.
So we plan our summer holidays with anxiety about not getting work done and anticipation of having an actual holiday. The planning begins with deciding between summer courses, internships, summer jobs and/or visiting colleges.
This all can be really stressful especially if one is unsure of what one plans to pursue in the future. The stress continues to build as the summer approaches and more of your peers have already figured out their summer plans and you are still left with none. Frantic, you start to worry about how this may reflect on your applications. Perhaps, this may be a good thing and you decide to focus on your assignments.
In the first week of summer, you think: òI have worked so hard throughout the year, taking a week for myself to relax and have fun. It sounds innocent enough.ó Lulling you into a false trap, this thought latches on. And taking internships, jobs and summer courses just somehow manages to give you more of an excuse to prolong the inevitability of doing work. Before you know it or realize it, summer has passed right before your eyes and anxiety and panic sets in as you realize how little work you have done on summer assignments and college applications. Therefore, the last week of summer would consist of us rushing and staying up late to get as much done as possible.
The first day of school arrives and despite the excitement to see your friends again; the pressure of senior year dawns upon you. Welcome to senior year, class of 2012/2013.
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