Graduation is next week. Classes officially ended May 25. But before we break out Greenday’s “Time of Your Life” and the video montages and the tissues, we can reflect on the year.

Controversy

Although many “high and mightiers” declare themselves “above drama,” secretly, we all kind of like it. At the very least, it gives us something to talk about.

And this year there was plenty to talk about.

From Color Day to prom, B-CC kids gained somewhat of a reputation for crazy behavior. While I can assure the public that we are not a group of alcohol-crazed hooligans, it is certain that the events of the past year will leave a legacy.

First and foremost, Color Day will surely be a major issue next year. Although it was unquestionably canceled last fall, I doubt the ban will be followed. In fact, many believe that the ban will only cause that fateful Friday to be even more violent next fall. Parents, prepare yourselves for lots of meetings.

It’s unlikely that teen drinking will leave the limelight anytime soon. Maybe the police have invented some type of underage drinking detection. Or, maybe this year's students were more careless/wild/peer-pressured.

Either way, I have a feeling that we’ll all be hearing a lot about the issue.

College Admissions

Senior year is all about college admissions: looking good for colleges, applying to colleges and then hyperventilating when we finally hear from colleges.

For the most part, it was a pretty good year. With the exception of Harvard, at least one student was accepted to all of the Ivies, with a whopping four students going to Yale. We also had a particularly good year at UNC Chapel Hill and UVA—two schools that, though aren’t Ivy League, are just as difficult (if not more) to get into. Five students will be attending UVA and three will head to UNC next year.

Still, the most popular school each year is the University of Maryland, College Park. One hundred and sixty-seven B-CC students applied, and 25 will become Terps this fall.

What We’ll Miss

Before now, it was hard to list a single thing about high school that I’d miss. We spent junior year trying to get perfect grades in the top classes while cramming in as many extracurriculars as possible so we could seem the perfect mix of intellectual and well-rounded. Senior year, we had to maintain this delicate balance and apply to colleges.

Waking up early, for example, will not be missed. Though students may be clueless about the courses they’ll be taking in college, everyone knows that they won’t be waking up early. (With May 25 past, I’ll never have to take a class before 8 a.m. ever again!)

Most of all, I think we’ll miss the friendships we’ve established over the years. Being that most of us are entering college with a whopping zero friends, I know I’ll definitely miss mine. While all college freshmen boast that they made friends in no time, that it won’t be a problem at all, we all harbor a fear that we’ll be the exception.

We’ll also be without the comforts of home. Laundry done for me and home-cooked meals are just the beginning of home comforts I know that I’ll long for next year.

The Senior Experience

I noticed a profound change in myself and my classmates this year. Maybe it was the hype of being a senior, or the fact that we’ll never see each other again after this year. Either way, we’ve been a lot friendlier to one another; I’ve talked to a lot of people this year I never imagined I would.

It would be unbearably cheesy (and also untrue) to declare that I'll miss each and every thing and person at B-CC. But they did play an integral part in shaping who I am, and for that I must be grateful.

How was your senior year experience? What do you miss most about high school?