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azuriteIt's suddenly occurred to me, with the force of a volcano exploding beneath my feet, that I am a senior. What's happened? I know it's all unreal-- I still feel sixteen, still remember the hallways of my middle school, and still consider myself a B.I.T.C.H-- babe in total control of herself.
And yet, with being a senior (and don't say it... I know this sounds like a Spiderman line) comes a great amount of responsibility. There's pressures from all sides to graduate on time, to get a scholarship (or two, or three) and go on to a good college. It seems like everyone's doing it, and in response to it, colleges are getting more crowded, and tuition is going up.
How terrible. But I find in my senior year, it's harder to get by, even a mere three weeks into the year, without money. Many of my friends have jobs, while others are desperately scouring the job binder, or applying (like me) to work at the polls on Election Day (this will be my second year of waking up at an ungodly hour to sort papers). I had a job once, about two summers ago, but that was when I was an inexperienced, money-grubbing teenager, with no sense of a timecard or anything like that.
Now in my senior year, I'm wishing I hadn't spent that last $20, or had put those $150 from that job two years ago into my bank account. Everything that people hype about senior year-- whether it's worth the talk everyone spreads about it-- costs money.
If you plan on graduating on time, and with your class, prepare to dish out money for the cap and gown. Me, I'm in the all women's advanced choir, and I have to pay $40 for an embroidered fleece jacket, and $50 for a yearly rental of a black dress. If I want to keep my demi-ratty song book that is emblazoned with 'First Ladies' in gold text, that's another $20.
Oh, mustn't forget PROM-- that's going to be in the hundreds. I don't know where it is yet, but hopefully it'll be at the hotel where my mom works so I can work for cash or something-- since dances were never my thing anyway, but it's always fun to "be there."
I was thinking about getting a senior ring, but the deposit is $50.00, and the cheaptest, nicest looking rings I could find were already $159.00. Yearbooks-- which I haven't gotten since my sophomore year, will be at least $65. I already scalp $3 off my mom for lunch every day, and more on days when I have Night School or special events that I want to go to with my friends. I'm not even including movies and other outings, since this is my senior year, and I may never see my friends again.
This bill is really adding up! I'm skipping most other dances, like Winterball and the Boat Dance... and there's always other stuff like sweatshirts, pom-poms, pens for yearbook signing, haircuts, @_@...
Between all my other gimmes, I don't know where to start. I know there's fundraisers and fee waivers for some of the more required stuff, but YEOUCH!
And yet, with being a senior (and don't say it... I know this sounds like a Spiderman line) comes a great amount of responsibility. There's pressures from all sides to graduate on time, to get a scholarship (or two, or three) and go on to a good college. It seems like everyone's doing it, and in response to it, colleges are getting more crowded, and tuition is going up.
How terrible. But I find in my senior year, it's harder to get by, even a mere three weeks into the year, without money. Many of my friends have jobs, while others are desperately scouring the job binder, or applying (like me) to work at the polls on Election Day (this will be my second year of waking up at an ungodly hour to sort papers). I had a job once, about two summers ago, but that was when I was an inexperienced, money-grubbing teenager, with no sense of a timecard or anything like that.
Now in my senior year, I'm wishing I hadn't spent that last $20, or had put those $150 from that job two years ago into my bank account. Everything that people hype about senior year-- whether it's worth the talk everyone spreads about it-- costs money.
If you plan on graduating on time, and with your class, prepare to dish out money for the cap and gown. Me, I'm in the all women's advanced choir, and I have to pay $40 for an embroidered fleece jacket, and $50 for a yearly rental of a black dress. If I want to keep my demi-ratty song book that is emblazoned with 'First Ladies' in gold text, that's another $20.
Oh, mustn't forget PROM-- that's going to be in the hundreds. I don't know where it is yet, but hopefully it'll be at the hotel where my mom works so I can work for cash or something-- since dances were never my thing anyway, but it's always fun to "be there."
I was thinking about getting a senior ring, but the deposit is $50.00, and the cheaptest, nicest looking rings I could find were already $159.00. Yearbooks-- which I haven't gotten since my sophomore year, will be at least $65. I already scalp $3 off my mom for lunch every day, and more on days when I have Night School or special events that I want to go to with my friends. I'm not even including movies and other outings, since this is my senior year, and I may never see my friends again.
This bill is really adding up! I'm skipping most other dances, like Winterball and the Boat Dance... and there's always other stuff like sweatshirts, pom-poms, pens for yearbook signing, haircuts, @_@...
Between all my other gimmes, I don't know where to start. I know there's fundraisers and fee waivers for some of the more required stuff, but YEOUCH!
