by Julia Srnec, sophomore writing coach

We’ve made it through the first few weeks of second semester! As we begin to make the transition from deep winter into what will hopefully be a pleasant and sunny spring, the planning for the next school year is already happening.
The future can be an overwhelming thought during this time of the year, whether that be selecting your classes and schedule for your next year at Minnetonka, or preparing for a transition into college and life outside of high school. As a sophomore headed for my junior year, college seems far away, but I still find myself taking countless career quizzes and racking my brain trying to figure out what it is that I want to do with my future. I’ve already started looking for colleges that have majors I may be interested in, and have started to try to identify what size, style and community I am looking for in a college. This college stress also scales down to my worries about classes I want to take next year. Questions of how many AP classes I can fit in without being overwhelmed, whether or not I should do Vantage, or if I should sign up for the IB program, have been spinning around in my head for weeks now. Since I’m in Spanish Immersion, I also like having at least an hour per day in Spanish, so that adds another level of difficulty. Along with academics, my activities outside of school, including clubs and spending time with friends, are equally important to me. Finding a balance with these activities and school is also an important factor.
With all of the different paths that are in front of me, it is often difficult to narrow down what exactly I want to do. Lately all of this has led to me feeling very stressed, as I’m sure many of you are as well. Though your paths may look different than mine, the pressure of feeling like you have to make a decision that may dramatically affect your life is a feeling we all share in one way or another.
Dealing with the stress of the future can feel like a huge task, so finding a way to deal with it is really important. Talking to friends, taking time to do things for yourself, and utilizing self care resources are all good ways to to reduce this stress and center yourself to be in the moment. I know this time between winter and spring break can be difficult, so make sure to take care of yourself and find people you are comfortable talking to when you’re feeling down. I wish you all the best and be sure to stay safe and stay strong!