End of summer, back to school

It's here, once again. The end to one whole summer of fun, laughter, excitement, memories, pool parties, family, friends, bug bites, and talking into the night. The end to sleeping in. The end to joyful abandon and rested peace. I will miss those lazy afternoons and memorable evenings spent walking around and enjoying the time at hand, not worrying about the next day. I will miss taking the time to gaze at the stars and feel the wind on my skin, soaking in the golden rays of summer sun or savoring a refreshing, cold drink. The days of warmth and sun are giving way to autumn, cooler temperatures and overcast skies.

It's interesting to think that many people still put a lot of emphasis on New Year's resolutions, the turning of the year from December to January. But by then the weather one day is already indistinguishable from the next. In Syracuse, there will already by a thick layer of white snow on the ground. The only quivering energy in the air is the energy left over from Christmas. For teens and young adults still going to school, doesn't it make more sense to base the year around September? I know I do- it's an obvious transition from relaxation to work. And it's shocking how fast summer vacation has gone by.

It feels like only yesterday I was still in California with my cousins, enjoying the beach and lack of work or stress. Getting my senior schedule in the mail was one thing, knowing I have to pack my bag for 8 hours of school tomorrow is another. And don't even talk to me about getting up at 6 am. I guess in some ways I am still excited to go back to school. I get to see all my friends and classmates again, which is always fun. There's a feeling of authority now presiding with us seniors. We can just walk to school and through the hallways and just feel like we own the place. Classes and homework will be a bother, but that's okay, fall sports and other school spirit events will make up for it.

And as for those who already started school, you have my sympathies. The first day of school is fun. The second day is alright. The third day is bearable. And then it usually goes downhill from there. But hey, there are still other things to be happy about. Autumn is coming, the leaves will be changing color and the bugs will start to disappear. Forget some of the disappointments of summer and concentrate on having a good year. After all, the feeling of a fresh start only comes once a school year.

Senior schedule

A little half-sheet of paper in an innocuous, plain looking envelope arrived in the mail today. It's finally here... my senior schedule. My first reaction: "Oh cool, I get to know what classes and teachers I'll have this year. My second reaction: *checks calender* "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH."

It's kind of a slap in the face, finally receiving the memo that signals the end of summer. It's hard to believe, as it probably is for other people who are still in summer mode. Wait, we're seniors now? Only a few weeks ago we were still juniors, suffering under loads of homework and extracurriculars, worrying about Junior Prom, shaking our fists at collegeboard and the plagues of APs and SAT tests alike. This summer was the first breath of reprieve that we've gotten in awhile. And now we have to deal with college applications?

Oh man. It's kind of hard to describe how I feel right now. I always knew this day was coming, the day when I would have to start thinking about colleges seriously. It reminds me of the summer before my sophomore year, when I took my first two AP classes. It had come too suddenly, and though I had known about it, it hadn't really registered in my mind. It was overwhelming to wrap my mind around the fact that I would be taking college-level courses already, daunting to think all that could go wrong. And now it's kind of like that for college applications... I was always aware of the work that I had to do, but now the fact that I actually have to starting doing it is enough to induce headaches. So yeah, I've taken a look at the Common Application and started drafting some of my essays, but as summer draws nearer to a close I feel like a giant iron gate is slowly closing in front of me, shutting out my carefree world- the glorified sunny field of Hakuna Matata and all things stress-free that I've been frolicking in so contentedly this summer.

To be honest, I'm still pretty excited. First day of school, I get to see all of my friends again, the soccer season is starting, I get to meet new teachers.... but much as I like that feeling of freshness and back to school-ness, I know that'll get old pretty quickly. Once the homework starts piling up and the sleep debt grows higher I know I won't enjoy it at all. My classes are okay in terms of workload this year, I purposefully dropped an AP or two because come on, who wants to slave away during senior year? I already had junioritis LAST year 2nd semester, there's no way I'd be able to keep my focus this year after my college applications are all sent out.

It's annoying to have that cloud-o-doom constantly hanging over your head, though. School was bad enough, but having to do extra work preparing essays and filling forms is simply I don't handle very well. Procrastination becomes my best friend, and I've used that approach pretty much this whole summer. And by this point, any conversation you have with an adult lasting longer than 5 minutes will probably gravitate towards the subject of college applications. "Where are you thinking of applying?" "Are you excited for your last year of high school?" "What are you thinking of majoring in?" (Like we haven't all heard that one before).

Bottom line for me: I'm excited for senior year, but as for life before I finish college applications.... not so much.

Who Needs Summer Assignments?

I mean, really. Whoever came up with the idea of assigning kids homework over the summer had a pretty warped idea of what summer was supposed to be like. Summer is supposed to be lazy, fun, memorable, mostly carefree... the last thing any kid needs is required work that's "due" at the beginning of the next school year. I hate that feeling of having that assignment just hang over your head all summer, just dreading the day when you finally have to start working on it.

And whether you're the type who works on it a bit at a time or finishes it all in one go the week before school, it's not like the assignment benefits you that much. All that about "keeping your mind sharp" and "preparing you for the workload" doesn't really make sense, especially with the summer assignments I've gotten. Some teachers claim they without the summer assignment they won't be able to get through the curriculum, but I would rather have a relaxing summer and a slightly sped up school year than have to do curriculum work when I'm not motivated at all.

So yeah, some assignments aren't bad and I'm exaggerating how time-consuming they are, but it's the thought that counts. I just want to have a care-free summer, period. Summer's the time to enjoy yourself and your hobbies. It's the time to get a job, work an internship, or do something else creative or interesting. Or at least something that's worthwhile and memorable, rather than drudge-work in the form of a summer assignment. Keep that kind of stuff for the school year, please.