You’re a senior in high school, and of course all people want to talk about is college: where you’re going to go and what you’re going to be, which leads you to think about the way your application looks.

But it’s the year where you get to be cheering in the front of Orange Rush. Sports and clubs find ways to celebrate your participation throughout high school. And, it’s your last homecoming dance and prom.

Why can’t you focus on both college and senior year?

The college world is competitive. Between the scholarships and low acceptance rates, the seniors are trying to become what a college wants even if it means pushing yourself harder.

But with five AP classes, three extracurricular activities, a high school sport, application deadlines and a job, where is the enjoyment of senior year?

Though that seems a bit over exaggerated, students can easily get lost in tests, quizzes, essays and more. It might be hard to find the balance between work and play.

Because to some students, a 91.2 percent in an honors class isn’t enough. Students are competing against themselves in order to keep up the grades, and it becomes unhealthy.

Sleeping, eating, socializing and, on the rare occasion, bathing are being etched out of a student’s daily schedule to make room for extra homework.

According to The National Sleep Foundation, 14-17 year olds should be getting eight to 10 hours of sleep a night. Maybe a consistent amount of sleep each night will help you from falling asleep in the classes that have no way of being entertaining.

Those numbers may seem out of reach, especially if you are only getting roughly five hours, but with prioritizing and time management, senior year becomes easier.

Being too hard on yourself is not just seen in the senior class, students in any grade become distraught when a bad grade is placed in front of them.

But the key is to not let it control how you spend each day. Just simply study but also relax. EHS has so much to offer senior year, and it should be enjoyed before the stress of attending a college starts.