After the first quarter, I must say things are quite different from my junior year and, obviously, still quite different from any year previously. It’s not just daily living that has changed but also my perspectives on my future education and career as well.

I look back at last year and see many notable differences how things work here, the notable example being that of junior-senior relations. Before, I never particularly felt close to my seniors at all, which is not an uncommon sentiment. However, as a senior, I have really taken a liking to a few juniors or, as I call them, “my children.” On top of junior affairs, my personal social life is completely different from how it was even back in May of junior year with new people and new connections. The most notable of these being my close associations with my favorite people, Michael Payne, Kelsey Hollingsworth and Chylar Gibson.

As a person, I have been greatly transformed since junior year. I went from being an overly-edgy, introverted and clean-shaven boy with questionable social ties to a much more likeable, extroverted and bearded boy with some of the best friends I’ve ever had.

In terms of academic life, things seem a lot better now that my work load and schedules are far lighter. I have Tuesdays off, most of Thursdays off and three off-periods on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. This is great improvement to my schedule last year which was largely filled to the brim. Also, since it’s my second year here, I have been able to take more advanced second-year courses, classes interesting enough to combat the omnipresent and notorious “senioritis.”

College applications, however, take the center of the stage when discussing notable elements of life as senior. They have largely defined how I’ve spent my free time since mid-September. This fact has also forced me to actually decide upon future plans. Of course, this isn’t a bad thing; I, along with the rest of senior class, can finally move on to greater things and, hopefully, act in a greater of degree of independence.

Overall, I must say that this year has, so far, been an improvement upon last year’s experiences. By extension, this year has been the best year of not just my academic career but my life generally, furthering the claim that this is one of the best schools in the nation. Obviously, things could be better and less controversial, but I make do. I feel optimistic, and I do believe that even better times lie ahead.