The stereotype often paired with senior year is one of ease and calm. However, that is not the case for many seniors trying to balance school and the stress of college applications.

“People say that it’s easy, but it’s not,” senior Skylar Paulsen said. “Most people think that when you are a senior, you don’t have to work, but that isn’t the case for me.”

For underclassmen fall is defined by football games and the excitement of a new year. Before they take on the last year of high school, they have not come to terms with the stress factor.

“I think it will definitely be a fun year, because the seniors are always so school spirited,” junior Alex Hopkinson said. “They are involved in everything, and the vibe that the seniors give to the rest of the school is fun.”

Fall for seniors can be riddled with worry and stress because of applications and firm deadlines that cannot be missed. As the school year begins to ramp up, the deadlines for seniors to apply to college is always on their mind.

“I am doing all early college applications, so every application I have to fill out is due before November,” senior Riley Heruska said. “I am probably more stressed out than people that have more time to do them, but it is definitely a really stressful aspect of your senior year.”

Although the ease of the year may be stereotyped, many juniors are beginning to realize the changes that are coming. When the underclassmen really start thinking about the prospect of looming college applications, they might be scared by the prospect.

“I don’t think college admissions will be easy, because there is such a hype made about college,” junior McKenna Werner said. “It’s hard to imagine that senior year is next year. It’s just hard to think about it yet.”