Claire’s Corner: executive editorial page editor Claire Clements spills the tea on the latest happenings in the world, ranging from pop culture to politics. 

Sitting in my English class, I hear for what seems like the billionth time, talk about colleges, college applications, which colleges will accept you.

I go home and my parent asks me about my college applications, scholarships and more. 

At church, people are always asking me about what colleges I’m applying to, which one I think I’m going to go for, and of course, the oh-so-dreaded question:

“Ready for college?” 

Here’s the thing: this is not my freshman year of college. Nor is it the summer before I start college. This is my senior year, and rather than everything being about college, I’d rather be able to actually enjoy my senior year. 

I know these people who ask me questions about college all the time are just asking because they care about me and want to know, and I appreciate that. The thing is, when all people will talk about is college, it’s hard to enjoy what I have going on at the moment. 

Along with that, excitement about college is understandable – I am not going to pretend that I haven’t already been thinking about my dorm decorations and how I will spend my days studying in cute, aesthetic coffee shops on campus. But at this point in our lives, when talk of college seems to seep into every aspect of our life, we forget to enjoy senior year. 

I’m not saying all adults are at fault because students do it too. It seems like every class I have, all we ever talk about is our college applications, college housing, what we think about this college and that college and how much we’re looking forward to college. 

It’s time to allow us to live in the moment, and that starts with us. I know personally, even with all of my school responsibilities, I try to make time to spend time with the family members and friends who I know I have a limited amount of time with, and to live in the moment with them. 

This is a reminder to all seniors, that when the college applications are done, put aside all the worries about college, even just for a little bit. Take a moment to enjoy these things that the majority of us won’t have for long: our family, our friends, Homecoming, Prom and so much more. 

It’s time to allow us to live in the moment. Rather than constantly asking about college, ask us how senior year is going. Ask us about what senior traditions we’ve been doing, and what we’re looking forward to about senior year. For the majority of us, this is the last year we get to spend in Coppell for another four years, the last year we get to enjoy so much quality time with our loved ones and when all we can think about is college, it’s so hard to enjoy it. 

This is our senior year, not our freshman year in college. Leave the college worries for the fall of 2020, because for now, we still have our last days of high school to enjoy. 

Follow Claire (@cclements825) and @CHSCampusNews on Twitter.