Seniors are in a pickle about their senior deadlines at St. Louis High School this week, and things are tense. Senior deadlines usually haunt the senior class until they’re finished, and cause stress on top of all other senior activities. Scheduling meetings and filling out endless forms isn’t easy for anyone, especially for students who are already feeling overwhelmed with planning for their futures.

Meeting with guidance counselor Terre Sura is one of the many parts of reaching senior deadlines. “My meetings with seniors are actually about taking steps for next year and what I can do to help them get there,” Sura stated. “So we discuss plans for college, armed forces, trade school, or joining the workforce.” 

While stress strikes the senior class, it also strikes the staff who coordinates for the students. “I believe the most stressful part for me when it comes to coordinating senior meetings is not interfering with class time. Setting up the meetings is simple – I use Calendly. But I hate interfering with class time – it is very important for students to be in class,” commented Sura. It’s not all doom and gloom for seniors and staff alike, though. “I am really excited for the class of 2023! This is an amazing senior class and I am really enjoying my meetings with each one of them,” Sura concluded.

Meeting with counselors isn’t the only task seniors have on their hands. Seniors have to fill out a lot of paperwork, and it’s putting a damper on their moods. Senior Payton Kuhn remarked, “We get a lot of papers and forms. I think a lot of it depends on how many colleges you’re applying to. So far I’ve only applied to two.” Kuhn also commented on how much paperwork comes with each letter. “Most colleges send out several pages worth of papers.”

The amount of pages isn’t the only struggle that comes with forms, though. Papers often use a lot of legal jargon and formal phrases, which can make it hard for students to understand. “We have to fill out FAFSA and that’s really confusing, especially when it’s about when you can apply,” Kuhn continued.

The FAFSA (Free Application for Student Aids) form is something a lot of students are struggling with, and it’s no surprise. Students must fill out the FAFSA in order to see which college aids they can apply for, and it’s been stressing the senior class out. Senior Dylan Luft didn’t make much of the FAFSA, as he stated, “I have no idea what that even is.” 

Despite not exactly being on time for his deadlines, Luft still wants future seniors to know a few tricks about deadlines. “Don’t be like me,” he joked. “I’m very behind and I’m not the best person to ask, but I’d say work through it with your parents or teachers. They’re really hard to understand on your own, so I would definitely want someone there to help me through it.”