High school: four years in which teenage students prepare for adulthood and a future career. It can be clearly seen that there is a huge gap between the incoming freshman and the experienced seniors.

“I was worried about stress, like all the homework I heard people were getting, and just my mental health, ‘cause I thought I would get so much homework that I wouldn’t have time for anything at all,” Claire Beaman, fr., said.

For now her goal is to get through high school and make it to a good college. But there is an obvious hole in this path for Beaman as she mentions her concern for learning life skills and how to survive in the real world.

These are common worries from anticipating freshman who don’t know what to expect.

“What I want is hopefully, a diploma. I would like to go to BYU Provo and get a medical degree so I can become an audio laryngologist,” Gabby Kilgore, fr., said

The pattern seen here in freshmen is that some may have a detailed end goal in sight, but concerning the steps required to get there, it’s a little fuzzy.

However, senior Amanda Qi has a plan set. Participating in the Science Bowl, scoring in the 99th percentile in Iowa Assessments, and at the top of her class, she has high school figured out.

“An eye-opener for me was how much work you have to do to get good grades but it has taught me time management among other things,” Qi said.

Throughout high school, she’s improved in “social interaction and how to work as a team. [There’s] more work senior year, so you have to work harder. Have fun in school, but don’t slack off.”

These four years in high school are a time to turn over a new leaf and start planning for the future. This experience shapes students into adults and is a time that one will definitely never forget.