For the class of 2022, finally being a senior is a great accomplishment. It’s the time to take fun classes, go all out with school spirit, and enjoy our last moments as high schoolers. However, there is one thing that is seriously killing the vibe: seven dreaded letters that have everyone stressed out.

College. 

Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps. So many decisions have to be made, and many of them will determine large parts of our lives. And what doesn’t help ease the stress is the millions of questions that seniors are asked on a daily basis. 

Now, to others this may not seem like a big deal. But when you’re incessantly being asked about your life plans, it can be pretty intimidating. 

“I get asked every single day, multiple times a day,” senior Ella Vander Velde said. “It can be really overwhelming.”

Many have also formed an automatic answer.

“I say the same thing every time. ‘I’m looking at (insert college here)’, and then just go down my list,” senior Talia Prozument said. 

But it’s not just the amount of college-related inquiries that is throwing students off, it’s also how personal the questions can be. 

“Once I was asked about my dream job, with follow up questions about how much money I would be making at that job,” senior Megan Parsons said. “I don’t know how much I would make; how am I supposed to answer that?”

Many students have expressed feeling uncomfortable with some of the questions they’ve been asked. 

“I’ve been asked about my test scores, specifically ‘what did you get on the SAT?’” senior Sophie Lawson said. “It becomes a really uncomfortable situation.”

Senior Hannah Stewart recommends not to ask about anything that’s a “quantifiable answer, or a number,” such as ACT and SAT scores, GPAs, or the number of schools someone is applying to. “Those aren’t things students want to share with everyone,” she said.

So as a reminder, before you go to ask students about their future school plans, take a second to think. They definitely don’t have everything figured out, and might struggle to answer you. Also, they probably don’t want to share their test scores and other personal information. This is not to say you should never ask about college, but simply a request to keep the questions respectful and considerate. 

“It’s the only thing people will ask me about,” Stewart said. “There are other things going on in my life too!”