Rei Saeki
Trois Ono
Despite the joyous spirit that typically accompanies the beginning of the new year, the Seniors’ den of HS-1 wafts a distinct scent across the high school floor- the sweet aroma of dread, anxiety, and sleep deprivation. For the Seniors, the celebratory ring in ‘Happy New Year 2024’ is a reminder of Extended Essay (EE) deadlines, college applications, and mock exams- truly, the seniors are living their best lives. This never-ending fiesta of academic ‘pleasure’ is a common phenomenon in January called ‘Senior Burnout’ or ‘Senioritis’ in medical terms.
Exhausted seniors
As the clock ticks away like a ticking time bomb, most seniors find themselves crafting the most fantastic personal statements that would put Dante and Shakespeare to shame. Imagine how a joyous task it is to summarize your life accomplishments and future in 500 words: a cycle of stress and existential crisis. Special recognition to our one and only Ms. Dompor, our unsung hero, runs from room to room to collect transcripts and official documents for our college applications; not to mention the countless hours of rants and tears from the line of students crowded around her office after school. With university application deadlines being dropped to us like bombs, we truly question what it means to be a high school student in this day and age. Years ago, top universities had acceptance rates that are double the rates they are now. Nowadays, universities expect a traumatic life experience accompanied by several internships and a cure to cancer, all from a single teenager. It comes to a point where applicants with such established profiles probably won’t even need that higher education.
While seniors spiral into questioning their identities for the sake of some 250-word application essay, teachers set up the on-parade of assignments. In a perfect choreography of group procrastination at Uni Coffee (and other similar sites), as well as pestering Mr. Ito about the mock exam schedules: the result is a bunch of exhausted seniors that were once vibrant individuals several winters ago. Like a typical winter scenery, our facial tones dull down and the only saturated color that is left is the dark purple of our ever-growing eyebags. The mock exams are like a twisted game show where the stakes are high, and the grand prize is the vague promise of academic success in the real IB– or at least a certificate of participation in this madness of a curriculum.
As a cherry on top, the IB workday emerges as the mini-grand finale, featuring the pièce de résistance known as the Individual Orals. In the lead-up to the IB workday, seniors are busy figuring out what exactly is a ‘global issue,’ re-reading their texts, and praying that their teacher is kind enough to not throw them an unexpected curveball during the 5-minute Q&A. The graduation photos are taken on the same day, transforming what could have been a sentimental photo into a portrait dominated by the soulless stares of the seniors.
The common struggle of the first two months of 2024 can only be survived with mutual support and encouragement. At the end of the day, empty laughs are still laughs.
Rei Saeki, Trois Ono