Every year seniors are under a lot of stress and that is mostly because of the SATs, ACTs and college applications. Many students also have the added pressure of trying to get scholarships.

The ACTs and SATs are important standardized tests that put a lot of stress on seniors and juniors. They carry a lot of weight on college applications, and may affect what colleges a student gets accepted to.

“They’re very important because all colleges look at it and it is well accepted. Senior year, you have deadlines, applications, study for SATs and college essays, plus your work in regular classes, and you have to have fun,” senior Jasmine Lawrence said.

The college application process is also a major concern. There is no guarantee that students will get into where you want to go, so applying to many different colleges seems to be a good idea.

However, each college has different requirements, which could add more stress on to students when they are trying to reach the demands of their selected colleges.

“It’s hard because there are so many colleges and you don’t know which ones you’ll get accepted to,” senior Chrissy Akumu said.

Also finding the right college to fit an individual students needs can be a challenge.

“It increases level of stress because you want to find the one that’s right for you and meets all your requirements,” Lawrence said.

Juniors are also affected by the strain of SATs, college applications and PSATs.

“Everyone’s saying that [junior year] is your most important year and don’t screw it up,” junior Rachel Stichnoth said.

Many seniors have different opinions as to whether senior year or junior year is the most stressful.

“Junior year is more stressful because they want you to prepare. If you’re a senior, they don’t want to stress you to bring your grade down. That’s why they give you more work,” senior Stephany Pena said.

However the stress depends a lot on the student.

“Junior year I didn’t care as much, so senior year is the most stressful. It depends on how prepared you are junior year,” senior Simon Kasemphantai said.

Students have different ways of coping with the stress levels, as well as advice for making the whole thing a little bit easier.

“We go out to eat and talk a lot about the stress. Talking about it makes it less stressful because you know you’re not the only one feeling that way. We did that for AP exams. We all get together with friends and study for the same exam. Especially with the new promethean boards, it’ll be so much easier. They have the jeopardy games you can play after school with teachers,” senior Jennifer Barillas said.