Goodbye to All That
Goodbye, Comp Sci High. Thank you for the rollercoaster ride, for shaping our lives, and for setting the stage for our future successes. Here's to the next chapter, and to all the possibilities it holds.
Four years, 208 weeks, and 1,461 days filled with excitement, tears, stress, memories, and new experiences have defined our high school journey. As we seniors countdown the final days, we face this bittersweet moment with a mix of emotions. My time at Comp Sci High has been a rollercoaster, but now it's time to say goodbye.
My first day of Comp Sci High wasn’t like a normal high school day. Since we started in the year 2020, we started high school in the heat of the pandemic. I started Comp Sci later than everyone else. I got my acceptance late, too, so by the time I started it was already September when we usually start in August. I first joined my advisory and was greeted with a whole bunch of people I'd never seen before. A lot of kids in this school knew each other from previous schools, but I didn't.
Starting off, remote learning wasn't much of a challenge for me, and I don't remember much from freshman year but all I wanted to do was be in person. Originally we had sync and async days. So one day being in classes online all day and one day just having work assigned. But then we switched to my favorite schedule ever, and I wish it was the same for the next four years to come. We had classes for about 4 hours everyday. You either were an AM kid or a PM kid. I was a PM kid so I didn't start class until around 12. Towards the end of my freshman year, I finally started attending school in person. I was welcomed with that long line and the scaffolding that kept me protected from the rain on those rainy days. We used to have to fill out this google form asking if I’d been around anyone with Covid or travelled outside of the state. Not many kids were in my section, since I went in the afternoon, so I still didn't know anyone until my sophomore year.
Sophomore year was the first year we fully went back in person school since the pandemic had begun. We started that year off with a field day and this was the first time I saw everyone. This year was the year I started taking AP classes. At the time, AP Physics was the death of me. Now looking back at it, I didn't do as bad as I thought. Towards the end of our sophomore year we went on a college trip. We visited Vassar, Middlebury, and Cornell University – little did I know I would be attending one of these universities in my future. I've always loved the idea of going away for college, so when I got to experience it first hand, I was so happy. It's nice that I got exposure to different universities as early as my sophomore year, since it gave me time to see what I loved and hated about different schools. In terms of stress, sophomore year was the least stressful year, though at the time it felt way different.
The past two years flew by because by the time I knew it, it was already junior year. It's like when you're a freshman and a sophomore, you’re still a kid, and high school is still new. But when you're a junior, you have senior year left and then the rest of your life. I don't know but I guess it started to hit me that soon this everyday high school routine wasn’t going to be my life anymore. In terms of college, this year was the most important. Yes, so is every other year. But the grades for this year are what get sent to college. After my sophomore year, I planned to take at least two AP classes every year and this year, AP Bio was kicking my butt. Since I knew stakes were higher because of college, my stress levels in comparison to sophomore year were way higher.
Finally, senior year rolled around, and whatever anyone has told you about it is a lie.
I came into senior year thinking it was going to be my easiest year. I was going to have no worries and everything would go smoothly. Well, I was wrong. This was the year I had realizations in most aspects of my life. Where I wanted to go to college, who I wanted to surround myself with, what annoys me, what makes me happy, and that I’m an extremely anxious person. In my previous years at Comp Sci I had dealt with stress all due to academics. I always strived to do well in my classes and when I felt like I couldn't achieve that level, I just shut down.
This year I got so much better at dealing with that. This year just like every year for me was filled with stress. We had to get our college applications in. So I took my shot and applied Early Decision for Cornell University. I got deferred. The way I thought all my problems were going to be lifted once I got the status update…I was very wrong.
I had to wait all the way until the end of March to know If i got accepted or not. Since I had got deferred, I was no longer tied down to the early decision agreement. I placed my cards in numerous different colleges, and I was rejected from a lot of them. I was getting worried thinking what if I didn't get accepted by Cornell when regular decision updates came around. The day went by so slow, not even a normal slow. I felt like the day took a whole week to pass. But I came home, and I got home just in time. I first opened Columbia University’s status update — I got waitlisted. Then it was time to open Cornell’s, and I kid you not my laptop was working so slow. I thought I was on a prank show. But it finally started to work and…I got in! I finally felt like all the stress, all the lack of sleep, all those days and weeks and months were worth it. When every moment started to pile up into one final piece. I got into Cornell.
As we stand at the start of a new chapter, our high school journey at Comp Sci High brings a wave of reflection and anticipation. These four years, marked by challenges and remarkable growth, have prepared us for the adventures that lie ahead. From navigating remote learning during a pandemic to forging lasting friendships and discovering our passions, we have faced and conquered obstacles.
As we prepare to leave Comp Sci High, the memories of these years will remain in our hearts. The friendships we've made, the lessons we've learned, and the experiences we've shared will continue to guide us. We are ready to step into the future, equipped with the knowledge, strength, and confidence gained from our time here.
Goodbye, Comp Sci High. Thank you for the rollercoaster ride, for shaping our lives, and for setting the stage for our future successes. Here's to the next chapter, and to all the possibilities it holds.