Many seniors disagree about which year of high school is the hardest.

Freshman year was a little hard for me. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one getting lost at the beginning of the year. The building took some getting used to, and the level of work was intensely different. For the first time, meeting the expectations of my teachers was a challenge.

Senior Jasmin Sesay said that senior year so far is “easy and chill, but a lot of paperwork”. She continued by saying that “freshman through sophomore year was hard because [she] was still trying to get use to high school.” Sesay concluded with valuable advice for freshmen and sophomores: You need to “go to class” because “these years are more important than you think.”

Senior Clarissa Mitchell admitted that freshman year was her hardest because of the “transition from middle school to high school.”

Kevin Simmons, another senior also agreed that the transition from middle school to high school was hard. “I had to put in more effort to get good grades” he said. He advised future students to “practice good study habits and manage your time wisely.”

Former ESOL student, Senior Pablo Bautista also said freshman year was his hardest because he didn’t know much English. “It was hard for me to communicate” he explained.

By sophomore year, students are already used to the building. They probably have at least one close friend which makes the year a little easier than ninth grade. For senior Afika Yiare, It wasn’t easy. “It was a wake up call from 9th grade,” she said, “I was really lazy and the work just got harder as a sophomore.”

For me, sophomore year was much more relaxed, but for senior Yasmin Castillo, sophomore year was only enjoyable until fourth quarter. She reflected on skipping LSN Government far too often: “I only began taking it seriously in fourth quarter but it was too late. I repeated the class junior year.” Continuing this line of thought with advice for future students, Castillo warns not to “skip because you’re going to end up repeating classes you don’t want.”

Junior year is when you really have to get serious about school. This is when you start thinking of life after high school. Senior Yayoh Bundu said junior year was her hardest. It was “stressful” she said. “That’s when I started thinking about college”. “Don’t take high school for a joke because when senior year hits, it’s no joke” she advised.

Senior Aminata Kamara also said junior year was her hardest because she “struggled with geometry”. She admits “more practice could’ve made it a little easier. Focus and do whatever it takes to get good grades” Kamara advised.

Senior Danielle Wolfe agrees with me when I say senior year is the hardest year. All these elective classes actually require more work than I thought: Tests every week; studying every night; looking for colleges to apply to; filling out applications and writing college essays. I have also been busy trying to meet deadlines and finding teachers to write recommendation letters. Many seniors are also stressed about the amount of things we have to pay for, and on top of that, still worrying about the SAT score.

“It’s hard to balance out college applications with AP and RP classes” Wolfe explained. “I spend a lot of my free time on RP homework” she went on. “This year is also financially hard, there’s a lot to pay for” she said. It’s easier if  you “do your college applications over the summer” Wolfe advised.

Though everyone has their own opinions as to which year was hardest for them, I believe senior year is the hardest because of all the college preparation and classes. The days leading up to graduation are torture. Everyone has a different view as to which year is the hardest, irregardless high school is a roller coaster, it has its ups and downs. It’s different for everyone, but with the support of friends and family, it will fly right by.