Senior year is the culmination of our time in education. Throughout schooling, we have always been told we are preparing ourselves for the future. Each grade primes us for the next, until graduation.

I am one of 606 seniors in the class of 2015 on the path to graduating from HHS this coming spring. After all of this preparation, why should I be frightened?

I am frightened because philosophies like the “senior slide” make me realize that I may not be ready for the adult world, and my classmates might be facing the same problem.

We have all heard of the “senior slide.” This structure is a device to facilitate relaxation for students during their senior year. Initiates of the HHS system eagerly await the time they may ride the “senior slide.” They hope to do this by picking up senior releases and taking easy classes.

What seniors do not realize is that this slide is more dangerous than they may have thought. Think of it as a water slide. Water slides are fun, right?

Except this waterslide is enclosed, so that there is no light. Sliding down the tube is slow at first, but the running water causes you to pick up speed. There is no stopping yourself.

Soon, you are hurtling down this chute towards an unknown destination where you will be completely lost.

This is what the “senior slide” can do.

We are told that senior year will be the time to relax. Don’t do work, put things off, skip school a bit, it’s alright. After all, colleges only look at the first half of your senior year.

And that is assuming you plan on going to college at all.

If you are not, then you will be jumping right into your new life, and bad habits will set you up for burnout. Life only gets harder as adults.

Aside from the possibility of being lost due to the “senior slide,” seniors may also run into the problem of not knowing how to make the transition from high school to college. This is a very important step.

Laziness acquired while approaching senior year plays a part in this. Students who are eager to hop onto the “senior slide” are more likely to slack off on college research and preparation. They are also less likely to be ready for the ardor of college education.