Last Wednesday was just a typical school day for ninth and tenth graders, who eagerly waited for the clock to strike three so they could go home for the long MEA weekend. On the other hand, juniors had standardized testing, and seniors had Senior Writing Day, an essential time that the school provided for writing college essays and catching up on homework.

With Early Decision deadlines on Nov. 1, the first few months of senior year can be stressful. According to CollegeData, in 2024, 47% of high school seniors’ most significant source of stress was applying for colleges.

Every senior is in a different place in the essay process, determining what work they must complete on Senior Writing Day.

Senior Humza Jameel said, “I am pretty much almost done now, and I’m thinking of submitting my application a week earlier [than] the actual Nov. 1 deadline, in case there’s any issues.”

After the November submission, seniors have another round of applications to complete.

“Then I’ll be done with the Early Decision stuff, but then I still have regular decision essays to write, which are due late December to early January,” Jameel said.

Many seniors like to use this day to finish the remainder of their essays. Mason Hang used the day to add his essays to Common App.

Before Wednesday, Hang said, “I know I’m probably going to use senior writing day to finalize everything for my essays for the common app and maybe just do a little touch-up and revising for any of my college applications.”

In addition to writing essays, some used the day to take some time off and reset, while others found it a great way to finish any remaining homework they had for that week.

Julia Taylor discussed her plan for the day off. “I think it’s nice to have a day off to catch up on things like schoolwork,” Taylor said. “I am going to use it efficiently because I have so much work I have to do, and I haven’t really had any time to do it.”

It also gave seniors an extra day of the long MEA weekend to travel and do other things.

For many other seniors, the day was a much-needed break from the never-ending cycle of classes, homework and extracurriculars.

Senior Deling Chen is one of the leaders of the Intercultural Club, and planning the Indigenous Peoples’ Day assembly required some time, but only a little.

“It doesn’t feel like work and doesn’t actually take that much time. I would say the biggest bulk of time comes from doing homework and studying and also transportation because I live kind of far away,” Chen said.

Coming on-campus to work was optional, but most seniors opted to work at home or other places.

Jameel and Chen went to a coffee shop with some classmates and found the company very beneficial.

“We were bouncing ideas off each other and asking questions instead of Googling stuff. It gets boring sometimes, writing by myself at home. So I got more done,” Jameel said.

It was also a social opportunity for Chen to catch up with classmates.

“I got to talk with a lot of people that I don’t normally talk to and haven’t talked to in a while…We chatted about random things, but I’d say that I was thinking, ‘If I’m not gonna get work done, I might as well [not] do it with other people than by myself at home,'” she said.

Senior Writing Day allowed students to focus on important academic tasks, like completing overdue homework and refining college essays and applications. It was also a chance to step back from the daily pressures of school and recharge, ensuring renewed energy and focus. Many enjoyed the extra time to lock in and finish something as they transitioned into the long weekend.