For BSM seniors, the days of high school are quickly coming to an end. The month of May means that a majority of the class of 2024 is committed to college and ready to move on from high school. The nearing end of school means that a common phenomenon is drawing closer: the senior slide. However, not all seniors “slide.” In order to end on a good note, certain seniors are committed to continuing their grind.
Senior Gabby Lenzmeier, committed to Cornell University, refuses to let the slide affect her. With AP tests coming up, most seniors, including her, aim to get as much college credit as possible. If a student scores high enough on an AP test, they are able to use that credit earned to skip out on a few core college classes. “What keeps me motivated is to keep up with my classes or the AP tests and stuff like that. So I want to make sure I get as much college credit as possible, but also just finishing strong,” Lenzemier said.
After years of blood, sweat, and tears, ending on a good note is fulfilling for some seniors. Many ask themselves, why put in so much trouble just to slack off your last semester? Adequate grades are a cherry on top of a high schooler’s journey, which is why most accept the final rigor of high school. “I just want to finish as good as I can,” Lenzemier said.
On the other hand, some seniors fully accept their slide. A common argument to defend this is that most seniors are already accepted into college. Why keep trying? You’re already guaranteed a spot in college. Furthermore, if seniors’ grades are above a C, they don’t have to take finals. This changes some seniors aiming for an A to downright accepting a C. “I’m already in college. And this work is pointless to me as long as I keep my grades above a C…I think that it’s fine if I start slacking a little bit,” senior Natalie Best said.
However, not giving up, even when things get hard, provides seniors with a life-long lesson of willpower and determination. Some seniors prefer to end with a satisfactory outcome, even if the rest of their peers don’t value it as much. “I think it’s okay to relax a little bit yeah…but maybe just not fully go not caring at all,” Lenzemier said.