Let’s get one thing straight: I’m a shortened-day senior, and it’s probably the best decision I’ve ever made.

The thought of graduation, going off to college and becoming a real-life adult kind of makes me want to melt into a puddle. I’ve been fortunate enough to have an incredible high school experience and honestly, I’m not ready to move on with my life. That being said, it would be logical to assume that I would disagree with the idea of going a part-time, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Recently, I’ve encountered a multitude of people who seem to believe going part-time equates to being “lazy” or “taking the easy way out.” I’m not going to deny it—they have a point. When I was an underclassman, the thought of spending my last year of public schooling away from class made zero sense. Why would you waste your senior year at home when you could be experiencing it with your classmates in school? It didn’t make any sense to me, and I understand why people who haven’t gone through it might be confused as well.

Fortunately for me, whether it be due to my own planning or the way the graduation requirement system is set up, I was pretty much done with my high school credits by the time senior year rolled around. All I was required to take was another year of math, a senior English class and a semester of social studies. That’s it. You might be thinking, “Well, this is great opportunity for you to sign up for some electives you’ve always want to take!” The thing is, I’ve already taken everything I wanted to. A lot of the classes require prerequisites or are classes I can’t take—like band or choir—so there’s not a whole lot to pick from.

Maybe I am a little lazy for not wanting to take another random class. Most people would say that in the long run, those classes could be beneficial for my future, but I feel like there are other things I could be doing than sitting through a class I’m not particularly interested in and doesn’t have anything to do with what I’m planning on studying college.

I know a lot of part-time seniors who spend their shortened-days taking classes at JCCC to get some of their general education classes out of the way. As many people know, college is expensive, so some students use their shortened-days to work. By getting a job, they’re learning work ethic and real life skills, as well as actually using their time to help them later on. That money has to come from somewhere, you know. And really, if you’re not doing any of those things, that’s cool too. I know, I know. That does nothing to prep you for four years at a university; it probably does the exact opposite. But college is hard. Really hard. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with using shortened-day to catch up on sleep and homework in order to get yourself in the right mental and emotional state that college will need you to be in.

If you don’t want to go part-time, kudos to you. Regardless, we shouldn’t shame students who choose to do so. You can still have a great high school experience in the classes you’re still taking, by participating in extracurriculars or going to school related activities, but you shouldn’t ever feel bad for taking advantage of the options senior year offers to put yourself in the best position you can for your future.