Ah yes, the long-awaited or maybe dreaded second-semester of senior year. All seniors spend these last few months of their high school experience differently, but the overarching topic of this semester is “senioritis”, which is a term used to describe when seniors slack off because they think that their second-semester grades aren’t as important to colleges. However, since AHS is a very competitive and academically focused high school, will AHS seniors fight senioritis or succumb to it?

Senior Martin Lu exclaimed, “It’s crazy to think that I’m a second-semester senior!” Although he feels it’s easy to catch senioritis now, he intends “on finishing high school strong.” Martin is looking forward to attending “as many speech tournaments and SMW events as [he] can while cherishing every minute [he] has with [his] friends” because he hopes “to be able to look back and remember these last few months as the good old days.”

When asked about how she feels about this semester, senior ​Jessica Lee explained that she “feels like a huge weight just fell off [her] chest” and that she “can breathe [and] can physically feel a difference” now that it’s second-semester. She continued, explaining that she “would still like to maintain [her] grades for second-semester just because [she] thinks it’s a pride thing, and slacking off too much would harm [her] later on during freshman year of college.” She said that she sleeps “at random times and [does] homework at random times as well. Like [she’ll] fall asleep at 8:00 p.m. and wake up at 4:00 a.m. to start homework. It’s honestly a little whack haha.” For second-semester, she wants to “catch up on the sleep [she] lost for the past three years…nap, nap, and more naps. Probably spend more time with friends, and hopefully can go out to a couple concerts or go on adventures. And by adventures [she] means like, taco runs at 11:00 p.m.” She “definitely won’t be stressing about school as much anymore, and wants to make the last few high school moments with friends memorable.” She said, “I want to act like a teenager and go out and do dumb things and just go a little crazy, so that I can look back and remember good vibes with friends. I want to cherish my time as a high schooler because I know once I’m in college, things are going to get even more real.”

Senior Sophia Chi said, “I definitely feel that second-semester has less pressure, but I still feel obligated to do well and perform my best to end things strong.” This semester, she plans to spend more “quality time with friends rather than making study sessions our only form of bonding.” As for personal goals for this semester, Sophia explained, “I hope to really cherish my time and make most of my time left living a high school experience. I hope to smile in reminisce of the fun memories and not look back in regret of the things I could have or should have done.”

“A lot more relaxed” are the words senior Jason Teng used to describe this semester. In regards to senioritis, he thinks that “it is very real because I don’t feel the need to work myself to stand out. Instead, I am appreciating the time I have left in high school. I like senioritis as it allows people to be chill and less stressed.” With these relaxed vibes and less time dedicated to school work, he hopes to “read and hike more.” He said, “Since I have more time, I want to return to a lot of things I had to abandon during [my] junior year, like biking. I also wish to develop more hobbies.” Jason also wants to use his last semester of high school “to put [himself] out there…and spend the last few months connecting with more people while spending more time with [his] friends.” He said, “I don’t want to have any regrets neglecting fun when I go to college.”  

Overall, many seniors seem to not be tempted to slack off academically as they want to finish strong. However, many also want to focus more on making memories and personal development, from late night taco runs to embracing forgotten hobbies. Congratulations to our AHS seniors for reaching this milestone in their high school careers and for working so hard these past few years!