As this year is quickly coming to a close, students and teachers are preparing for next year’s schedules and activities. This past Monday, each student was to turn in his course registration– essentially the final decision for schedules for next year. This seems like a quick and easy task, after all, the students only have one week to compete it, however, many people might not appreciate the stress this week brings to the students.

Second semester might seem like the easier semester to some; we have midwinter break, a short period of school, then spring break.  However, the fact that second semester moves by so quickly is the reason why it is harder than first semester for some students. Another factor is that this time of year is when students begin to prepare for final exams. Many juniors and seniors also have AP exams to study. Add this to sports practice, putting on a theater production, SAT tutoring sessions, or any extracurricular activities, and the students begin to feel like there is too much on their plates. “It’s crazy to try to juggle everything at once,” says one junior. “I have to try hard to make time for myself.”

When it comes to picking courses for next year, this week can be additionally stressful to those students who are trying to base their schedule around college admissions. Many students feel that they need to strive to be accepted to the most prestigious colleges and therefore must take as many AP and Honors classes as possible. Once in these classes, students realize that they must also earn high enough GPAs to be competitive candidates.  Many students will have to drop the electives they love just because they believe having numerous APs is what will look best on their college applications.

However, when students find themselves in four APs and way over their heads, they end up getting themselves into more trouble than it was worth. It is important to remember this when deciding on classes for next year; when choosing your schedule, do what is best for you and not for anyone else: your parents, your friends, or a college admissions team. Everyone needs a break during the day to do something they love, or to play their favorite sport after school, or have time to just sit on the couch, watch TV, and do nothing. So as you’re filling out your registrations, take a breath, step back, and think about how it is going to affect every aspect of next year. The last thing you want is to be stressed out!