Prom, grad night, beach day, graduation, and post-grad plans. In their final year of high school, seniors have a number of activities to look forward to before moving on to the next stage of their lives. Despite all of these highly anticipated events, seniors often leave high school with regret, and they want to redo parts of their high school experience. For example, some high schoolers regret not taking different classes, not taking more advanced classes, not joining sports, or not trying new things.

Senior Kavya Gadamsetti says, “I regret not exploring my interests and solely focusing on schoolwork.” This is a common theme with seniors, who often wish they spent more time doing things outside of schoolwork/academics. She also said, “I wish I spent more time enjoying being a teenager and enjoying the high school experience overall.”

Senior Diya Sharma states, “I wish I took the time to join more clubs and be more active in the school’s community. I also regret not having a set plan for myself before participating in certain classes and activities.”

Senior Mason Hak-Vann says, “I regret not pushing myself harder and not taking as many AP classes as I could have.” Some students tend to hold regrets over their academic journey, while others wish they took more time for themselves outside of school.

As they look past these regrets, seniors are also available to identify things they don’t regret doing and moments that they will never forget. Kavya Gadamsetti said, “I don’t regret getting involved in the school, and the community, by starting and joining clubs, volunteering, and other things.” Even though seniors do have their regrets, they do have some good times they can also reflect on. Although everyone has their own high school experience, good or bad, we should all try to make it the best experience possible, because it’s something that we all will only go through once.